


They fear what they don't understand

by scarletassasin



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/F, Mutant Powers, X-men Inspired, a little bit of Cranscott, but mostly Trimberly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2018-12-16 18:43:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11834739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletassasin/pseuds/scarletassasin
Summary: When Trini discovers that she's a mutant, what she doesn't expect is to have to move to what is basically a mutant boarding school. Even surrounded by people like her she still hasn't found somewhere that she belongs, until she meets three boys and Kimberly Hart.





	1. Chapter 1

The first thing Trini noticed was the burning sensation spreading throughout her body. The next thing she noticed is how much more intense that heat felt on her hands as she slid them down the other girl’s skin, just under her shirt. Jen’s shirt. It wasn't a serious relationship or anything like that. Just another fling until her parents inevitably moved them to another state, yet again. But this was the first time things got so heated for her with another girl. No pun intended. Her heart was racing and her hands were trembling as they moved over the girl’s skin.

That unsettling heat spreading throughout her body was definitely something new. The next thing she noticed was her mother knocking on her door and calling her name and that’s what set it off. She heard a yelp and Jen’s hands shoving her off of her. Trini pulled back immediately looking down at the girl, confused as she started moving away from Trini a fearful look on her face. She pulled up the hem of her shirt, revealing her stomach which was now covered in burn marks in the shape of Trini’s hands and fingers as they were dragging down on her skin just a few seconds ago.

 

“What did you do to me?!” She yelled, her eyes never leaving Trini as she kept moving away from her, still on her bed.

 

“I-I didn't do anything” Trini said, panic starting to take over. “I was just touching you,” she moved closer to the other girl, trying in any way to help her.

 

“Stay away from me!” Trini stops herself and moves off the bed.

 

“I didn't mean to, I swear!” then she hears her mother knocking again.

 

“Trini what’s going on in there?” she hears mother’s panicked voice on the other side of the door. She must’ve come home early, Trini realizes.

 

“You’re one of those mutants aren't you?” she hears the girl say from the bed. She looks to her, seeing a fearful expression still on her face. She backs up a bit more as if she’s afraid of Trini even being near her.

 

“No! This has _never_ happened before! I just- I don't know.” Trini pushes her hair out of her face as she tries to calm herself, trying to slow down her own rapid breathing.

 

“Trini open this door right now!” her mother yells again. Before Trini can react, Jen stands up and makes her way to Trini’s bedroom door, unlocking it and letting her mother in before she storms out.

 

Trini’s mother looks at the girl as she leaves, looking shocked before she turns her attention to Trini and glares. “Trini. What is going on?” she asks rather calmly.

 

“It was an accident! I don't know what happened! I was just feeling weird and then _that_ happened. Please mom you know I wouldn't ever hurt someone like that on purpose-” she pleads.

 

Her mother shakes her head in confusion. “What do you mean? You _hurt_ someone?”

 

“I swear I didn't mean to. I was just touching her and then she yelled and she had burn marks on her from me and-” she rambles before her mother holds up a finger to stop her.

 

“Trini. What is going on?” she says firmly.

 

“Mom I-” she cant bring herself to actually say anything. She keeps thinking about what Jen said before she left. ‘Mutant,’ a word she's heard a few times. She’s only ever met two people who said they were mutants and they seemed pretty normal so she didn't understand why there was such a big anti-mutant problem in the world. It’s not surprising actually, now that she thinks about it since there are so many other social issues that still haven't been solved. Anyone who deviates from the norm is a problem for some people apparently. She knew the mutant gene usually activated during one’s teen years, during a moment of trauma or stress and it looks like that’s exactly what happened. But neither one of her parents were mutants so why was this happening to _her_?

 

“Trini, answer me!” Trini just stays silent as her mother starts pacing “Who was that girl Trini? And how did you- what did you do?” Trini can tell her mother was confused. She wasn't exactly out to her parents. They suspected it but they never brought it up, instead preferring to ignore the subject completely. And now this whole mutant thing to top it off? Just great.

 

“She called me a mutant” Trini says before she can stop herself. Her mother just stares at her, unsure of what to say.

 

“A mutant. Are you-” she sighs. “Okay, we’ll figure this all out when your father gets home” her mother looks at her again and instead of anger, Trini sees worry in her eyes. Then she makes her way out of Trini’s room and shuts the door behind her. Trini collapses on her bed, not knowing exactly how she should be feeling right now. So her body lets her know as she starts sobbing into her pillow.

 

* * *

 

 “But she’s not normal! She needs help” Trini’s mother yells at her father as the three of them are seated at the empty diner table discussing Trini. Her brothers were sent to a friend’s house since her mother thought this would not be appropriate for them to listen to.

 

“June this isn't a sickness that we can just cure, it’s who she is now” her father says calmly. Trini finds herself unable to look at either of them as she stares down at the table. Anyone listening in on their conversation probably wouldn't be sure if they were talking about Trini being gay, or being a mutant. But Trini knows that they’re talking about her being a mutant because her mom has been avoiding saying anything about the whole ‘almost walked in on my daughter with another girl’ ever since it happened.

 

“You really want our daughter being a mutant in a world like this? And what will our neighbors or our relatives think? There has to be some way to change her back. First this thing with liking girls and now _this_?” Trini knows her mother has good intentions but she tends to try to solve them the wrong way. She knows that her mother wants her to live a safe life where people wont judge her for being different but her mother is inadvertently doing that _exact_ thing.

 

From the corner of her eye she sees her mother looking at her again. “Say something. Anything, please!” Trini turns away, instead focusing on the kitchen window. She hears her mother sigh in frustration. “See? This is what I was talking about last week. She doesn't communicate with us. She had a girl over today! And now this whole mutant thing! How long have you known Trini? Have you been keeping it from us this whole time?”

 

“June please relax” her father tries calming her again. “She’s obviously going through a lot right now. Let her process all of this” he sighs before he picks up his his phone and types something. “We can send her to one of those schools. The ones for mutants” he says as he continues typing on his phone and scrolling. “There’s the Xavier institute in upstate New York which is supposed to be a good school-”

 

“We _just_ moved to California a month ago, we’re not sending her to New York!” her mother interrupts.

 

“Okay then” he looks at his phone again “There’s one here in California. In a town called Angel Grove. It’s a smaller school but apparently it’s as good as the one in New York.”

 

Trini looks back at her parents, waiting to see what they’ll say next. Her mother hesitates before she looks at Trini and sighs. “Go to your room. Your father and I will discuss this in private” Trini nods before she makes her way back to her room and shuts the door behind her. 

 

She falls on her bed, sitting there and studying her own hands, thinking of how she could have possibly hurt someone like that. Then she hears her parents yelling from downstairs. She’s not surprised and she knows it’s definitely about her, but it’s still unsettling. She runs her hand over her face and rubs her eyes as she sighs. That heat from earlier is spreading throughout her body again and she’s sweating. And just like last time, it starts burning more on her hands. She makes her way to her bathroom and turns on the cold water, letting it run over her hands. A few seconds later her hands are literally steaming, with smoke coming off of them as the cold water runs over them. She pulls them back immediately, staring at them wide-eyed. 

 

After she dries them and makes her way back to her bed she picks up her phone trying to distract herself from the yelling from downstairs which keeps getting louder and louder. She hears her name being thrown around a few times in her parent’s argument and she locks her phone, still keeping it in her grip and she tries to calm herself and steady her breathing. She feels like a panic attack might be coming up and she grips her phone tightly. The next thing she knows she’s starting to feel warm again and she smells plastic burning. She looks down to see that her right hand, which she’s holding her phone in, is on fire. _Literally_ , covered in bright flames, and her phone is melting.

 

“What the hell!” she says rather loudly as she drops her phone onto her bed. It’s still on fire and it starts burning into her sheets so she grabs her pillow with her left hand which is currently _not_ _on fire_ and tries to put out the small fire on her bed by smothering it. When she does, she moves onto her next problem. Her hand actually being on fire, and what’s even more confusing is that it doesn't hurt. All she feels is a comforting warmth. She doesn't notice her parents barge in from hearing her yell when she tried to put out the fire moments ago. Her mother screams and her father stares at her, wide-eyed, the shock clear on his face.

 

Trini freezes, unsure of what exactly she needs to do as panic rushes through her. She feels the flame rising up her arms and it starts burning the edge of her sleeve, so she runs to the bathroom and sticks her arm under the shower head as she turns on the water. Her arm is steaming again and the fire hisses as it goes out. She examines her arm, seeing that she has no burns on it whatsoever. Like nothing ever happened. 

 

“We need to send her to that school” she hears her mother sob from her bedroom. Her father doesn't say anything but she knows that he agrees and she knows that she's probably gonna have to start packing again.

 

* * *

 

 And it turns out she’s right. After days of phone calls and arrangements being made for her to switch schools and actually move again, she’s now standing outside the damn place. Her mother is right behind her, slowly moving her to the school’s front doors and her father is getting her boxes and suitcase with all her stuff out of the back of the car. 

 

She looks around, seeing a few kids hanging around the front yard, sitting under trees or by the small fountain. Some of them look younger than her, some older, but most of them look like they’re about her age. The building itself looks like a giant old mansion but it also looks like it’s in _perfect_ shape so she cant really tell how old it could possible be. Then her mother’s opening the door and Trini tugs on her backpack nervously as she steps inside. There’s even more teenagers on the inside walking down the halls with books in their hands. It really does look like a school. A really fancy boarding school. She groans. Then a short man is making his way down the stairs across from them and straight towards them in an almost robotic manner.

 

“Ah you must be Trini!” he says as he extends his hand towards her. “I’m Alpha” She hesitantly shakes it before he shakes her mother’s hand. “I’ll help with your stuff and get you settled into your room” he says excitedly.

 

“Wait, that’s it?” her mother interrupts. “Don’t we get to meet the principal or help her move in?”

 

“Professor Zordon is very busy right now Mrs Gomez, but don’t worry, Trini will meet him later today! You can help her move in if you want, but it won’t be necessary. I have a couple of students who are gonna help us with her stuff” As if on queue, two tall boys walk up behind Alpha. “Ah Zack, Jason, there you are! Help Trini’s father get her stuff up to her room” he says as he looks up at Trini’s father who’s struggling to carry one of her boxes through the door. The boy with the darker hair immediately rushes up to him and grabs the box with ease.

 

“Here, let me help. Jason, there’s a few more boxes right outside the car” he says as he looks back to the other boy who nods and makes his way outside.

 

“I can show you to your room if you’d like” Alpha peeps up beside her. She looks to her mother who sighs and pulls her in for a hug. 

 

Trini relaxes against her as she hugs back. “I know we have our… differences, but all I want is for you to be safe.” 

 

Trini nods. “I know” and then her mother kisses her forehead before her father hugs her and they say their goodbyes before Trini is being ushered upstairs by Alpha as Zack and Jason bring in her things. 

 

He leads her down a hall and opens one of the doors at the end of it, revealing a small bedroom with two twin beds across from each other and a desk and a chair placed next to each of them. Her eyes widen as she notices that the bed on the left side is made, there are clothes and books thrown all over it and the wall is full of posters. Someone’s already staying on that side of the room.

 

“Oh I forgot to tell you” Alpha speaks up, knowing exactly what she’s thinking. “You’ll have a roommate. That’s how we do things around here. So no one is left alone. Don’t worry, she’s nice.”

 

Zack and Jason bring in the last of her things and Alpha eventually leaves. “ _Hello_ there. I’m Zack” Zack grins as me makes his way over to Trini. “And you’re Deedee right?”

 

“Trini” she huffs.

 

“Well Trini, if you ever need anything, I’m always around to help” he wiggles his eyebrows.

 

“Don’t mind him” the other boy, Jason, says from behind Zack. “He flirts with everyone he first meets them. But if you _do_ need anything, we’re both here to help” Trini drops her backpack onto her bed before she starts walking around her new room, examining it. “We’ll let you unpack then” Jason says before he pulls Zack out of the room and closes the door behind them. 

 

Trini makes her way to the large window on her side of the room, looking outside and admiring the view. She can see the backyard of the school with a larger fountain and so much green from all the trees and grass, as well as the basketball court. It’s a nice view at least. She can even see the rocky cliffs right behind the school just outside. Those would definitely be interesting to explore. She turns around and walks up to the five boxes on her bed before she starts unpacking. When she eventually finishes, she starts emptying her remaining clothes from her suitcase and placing it all in the closet next to her bed. When she finally finishes that too, she plops onto her bed.

 

She looks to the bed across from her which is all pink and whoever her roommate is, they have a pretty messy room. Or messy _side_ of a room. The walls on her side are filled with drawings and sketches and posters. There’s clothes thrown on the bed, some clothes hanging out of the drawers in her closet which is wide open and a few books are on the foot of the bed. There aren't any books on the desk because its full of make up, and make up brushes, a blowdryer, some more clothes, and a straightening and curling iron. Whoever this girl is, Trini just hopes she keeps her mess to her side of the room. 

 

She comes to the realization that her roommate and everyone she’s met today is probably like her. Mutants. But she still doesn't feel like she belongs here. How could anyone _really_ understand what she’s going through? Hell, _she_ doesn't even know what she’s going through. She sighs and puts on her headphones and blasting her music before shutting her eyes as she lies down. She barely hears the door open as someone barges into the room. When she looks up, a girl with dark short hair is staring at her wide-eyed. Trini pulls off her headphones, confused.

 

“Shit! I totally forgot you were moving in today” the girl says as she runs over to her bed and drops her bag onto her bed before she starts scrambling and grabbing her clothes and throwing them into the closet. “I’m _so_ sorry for the mess! I’m not usually this messy but it’s been a rough couple of weeks and I keep forgetting to clean up-”

 

“It’s totally fine. None of it was on my side anyway” Trini tries to reassure the girl.

 

“I’m Kimberly, by the way. Kimberly Hart. And again, I’m so sorry for the mess” she says as she continues tossing her clothes into the closet. Trini chuckles.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m Trini” she extends her hand and Kimberly walks up to her and shakes it.

 

“It’s nice to meet you Trini” she grins as she stares at Trini for a few seconds, then looks away for a second pushing a strand of hair behind her ear nervously, as if she’s contemplating something. “Uh do you wanna- I mean it’s fine if you don’t but, there’s a basketball game outside in the yard later and a few of my friends are playing. You could join us if you want.”

 

“I’d love that” she smiles. An attractive roommate who’s _also_ nice, okay Trini might actually start liking this place.

 

A knock on the door interrupts their conversation, and Alpha walks in. “Trini, Professor Zordon can meet you now. Just follow me.” Trini looks to Kimberly who gives her a warm smile and she smiles as she leaves the room and follows Alpha down the hallway and back down the stairs.

 

“Ay yi yi! I almost forgot about giving you a tour. Okay real quick, the first floor is where all your classes are and the second floor is living quarters. The kitchen is at the end of this hall on the right and the dining hall is on the left. The elevator over here-” he says as he points at the metal elevator doors “is off limits to students unless you’re told to be there by me or Zordon” he leads her further down the hall and stops in front of two large wooden doors on their right. “This is Professor Zordon’s office. You can visit him any time you need anything or you can find me. Whatever you feel more comfortable with. He opens the door and leads her in. The office is empty. There’s a desk and a chair on the side of the room instead of at the center of it, which Alpha tells her is his, and a large screen on the wall right across from her. There’s a metallic base embedded into the wooden floor at the center of the room and something clicks and a light is shining through the opening at the middle of that metal base. Suddenly there’s a hologram of a giant blue head staring down at her and she takes a step back, feeling kinda freaked out.

 

“Wh-What is going on?”

 

“You must be Trini. I’m Zordon” the giant head says and Trini honestly doesn't know how to react so she just stares.

 

“I know it may seem a bit strange, but Zordon is a mutant like you. He can connect his consciousness to technology but unfortunately he got… stuck”

 

“Oh okay” she replies, not really wanting to know any more details, because talking to a giant blue head is enough for one day.

 

“I can tell how unsettling this all is for you. Discovering these new abilities that make you so different and being thrown into this new environment. But it’s something you will get used to. And we will help you control your abilities” Zordon tries to reassure her. She nods even though she still has that unsettling feeling in the back of her mind. That none of this will end well for her. She pushes those worries aside for now.

 

“So when do we start those lessons? On control?” she asks, a little more impatiently than she had intended. 

 

“Fortunately you’re not the only student here who has an issue with controlling your powers” Alpha speaks from behind her. “We’ll be having those lessons as a group on Saturday mornings. Your roommate can fill you in.” Trini does a double take at that revelation that Kimberly is also struggling with her ability but doesn't say anything further. 

 

“If that’s all the questions you have, you’re free to leave” Zordon says. Trini nods and Alpha escorts her back to the hall.

 

“Remember, if there’s anything you need, both Zordon and I are here to help”

 

“Thank you. Uhm- What exactly are _your_ mutant powers?” she asks.

 

“Oh I’m not a mutant. I’m an android. Created by Zordon himself!”

 

“Oh, wow. You look so-”

 

“Human?” Alpha interrupts. “I know. Zordon thought that a tiny robot walking around campus might freak some kids out here, so he made me look as human as possible. Could've made me taller though” Trini chuckles at that.

 

“Okay then. i’m just gonna get back to my room then” she says as she motions to the stairs.

 

“Of course. And remember, there’s control training tomorrow morning. I’ll give you your schedule soon and you can start classes on Monday. She nods and smiles, rushing up the stairs, hoping Kimberly hasn't already left for the basketball game. She opens the door to their bedroom to find her lying on her bed - which is much less of a mess now - on her phone.

 

“You’re back!” she says as she drops her phone on her bed and sits up and smiles at Trini who takes a seat on her own bed. “Giant blue head a little crazy huh?”

 

“Yup. And I thought the craziest thing I’d see all week would be these weird powers” Trini says as she looks down at her own hands. “Oh and Alpha told me that we’re in a group training thing on Saturdays apparently.”

 

“Oh yeah. Power control lessons. You have trouble with yours too?” Kimberly asks a bit more serious now.

 

“Yeah I- I uh kinda hurt someone. Accidentally of course!” she says as she avoids eye contact with Kimberly.

 

“Hey” Kimberly says softly as she makes her way towards Trini’s bed and sits in front of her, taking her hand and squeezing it lightly to comfort her. “It’s happened to more of us than you think. Sometimes it’s just harder to control for some of us.” 

 

Trini looks down to see Kimberly still holding her hand, and pulls it out of her grasp abruptly, reminding herself that the last time she touched someone, she hurt them. Kimberly’s warm smile turns into a frown and she stands up, both of them feeling the awkwardness start to build up between them now.

 

“I’m about to go to that basketball game. If you still wanna join…” Kimberly mumbles. Trini nods and stands up before grabbing her (new) phone - she burned that last one - and follows Kimberly out the door. The hallway is flooded with students who are leaving their rooms to presumably, make their way to the basketball game. These games must be a big thing at this school. 

 

Trini’s snapped out of her thoughts as Kimberly grabs her wrist and pulls her through the crowd and down the stairs. When they’re outside, Trini notices that the sun is already starting to set. When there’s enough room for them to walk without being smothered by a giant crowd of students, Trini pulls her hand away again. That response has become automatic for her now whenever someone touches her for too long, and she notices Kimberly frown again and as much as she wants to comfort her and tell her she’s not doing anything wrong, she cant find the courage to actually talk about her… problem.

 

They finally reach the basketball court which is near the huge fountain in the middle of the yard, towards the back. It’s surrounded by students and the crowd just keeps getting larger as more students make their way outside. How many students were even at this school?

 

Kimberly looks back to her and smiles and says something which Trini can’t hear over the loud excited voices around her, but she thinks she can make out her lips mouthing ‘Follow me’ and she’s taken aback when she realizes she was staring at Kimberly’s lips for some reason. She shakes her head, leaving that thought for another day, and follows the taller girl through the crowd to the front, right on the edge of the court. 

 

Trini notices that it’s a concrete floor since it’s an outdoor court instead of a smooth wooden one, and knowing how painful it is to fall down or scrape your knee on a concrete gravel-like surface, she wonders if these games are really _that_ worth it here. She sees Kimberly wave at someone and three boys who are standing on the court, obviously on one of the teams that are playing, smile and make their way towards them. She recognizes two of them from earlier. Zack and Jason, the boys that helped her move in. Kimberly hugs them all before she pulls Trini forward and introduces them.

 

“Fancy seeing _you_ here” Zack grins as he teases her and Trini just rolls her eyes. The other boy who she hasn't met, steps closer to her and extends his arm. 

 

“I’m Billy. Billy Cranston” he says excitedly as he shakes Trini’s hand and lets go a little too fast. She smiles back at the boy before she reaches up and adjusts her beanie, feeling nervous again. The boys talk to Kimberly a bit more before a whistle is blown and they make their way back to the court. A taller boy who she doesn't know, is standing in the middle of the court holding the ball. He says a few rules to the two teams but Trini cant hear anything over the screaming and cheering from around her.

 

The game eventually starts and Zack, Jason and Billy are on the same team, along with another boy and a girl that she doesn't recognize. Jason is the first one to grab the ball and he, Billy and Zack seem so in-sync. Even more than they do with their three other teammates. Zack even trips at one point and Trini can’t help but chuckle. They’re running around and scoring and they’re all having fun until at one point things get a little tense. 

 

One of the players from the other team, a red-haired boy has the ball and Billy is in front of him, his arms wide as he tries to block him from moving any further. He swipes to steal the ball and he accidentally gazes the red-haired boy’s hand. The boy screams and clutches his hand before he shoves Billy. Trini isn't sure what exactly happened but the boy is fuming.

 

“What the hell freak?! No powers on the court! It’s in the rules! Or did you forget already?” he shoves at Billy again and Jason is immediately between them holding back the red-haired boy. 

 

“It was an accident!” Billy says. “I swear, it was an accident. I can't control my-”

 

“Can’t control your powers” the boy interrupts, finishing his sentence. “Just like the rest of your freak friends!” he yells. “We all know about the extra lessons you losers have on Saturdays. You’re the ones giving mutants a bad name. You lose control and then the rest of us are blamed for it too!”

 

“Hey! Back off man!” Jason yells as he shoves the boy. Two more taller guys from the red-head’s team come up behind him, preparing for a fight.

 

“Or what?” the boy continues as he steps up to Jason. “You gonna fight me? Because you know we’re not allowed to use our powers like that pretty boy.” Jason huffs and Trini feels herself being pushed forward as the crowd starts gathering around the boys. “So what’s it gonna be?” and before the boy can say anything else, Jason slaps him. Hard. And it’s loud enough to silence everyone around them. The boy looks shocked for a second and Trini grins.

 

“Did you just slap me?” he asks, still clutching his cheek.

 

“I did. And I’ll do it again if you keep this up” The boy stiffens and suddenly there are some sort of bone-like spikes sticking out of his shoulders, and his arms and fists, and he lunges at Jason. Everyone starts chanting around them again, encouraging the fight to continue, and suddenly Zack is fighting one of the red-haired boy’s friends and Billy is doing his best to avoid a fight with another boy. Kimberly rushes forward and she tries to pull Jason off of the other boy but he just keeps punching him. 

 

The other boy suddenly gains the upper hand again and starts hitting Jason and that, along with the incessant yelling and chanting starts getting to Trini and she can feel that familiar heat rising up her spine and spreading throughout her body. She rushes forward and shoves the other boy off of Jason and he screams again as his entire sleeve is on fire. One of his friend’s takes off his jacket and starts slapping his arm with it to smother the flames.

 

“What the hell! How many of you freaks are there?” he yells and Trini is too shocked to respond. It happened again. She looks down at her hands that are currently engulfed in flames and people are staring at her and backing away from her like she’s a bomb waiting to explode. The fire starts spreading up her arms like last time and another one of her jackets is gonna be ruined, so she runs to the fountain and sticks her arms in the water. The water sizzles and some smoke rises from the water as the flames go out. When she looks back, people are still staring at her. Some of them afraid, some of them - like Kimberly and her friends - shocked so she does what she thinks is the only thing left to do. She takes off and runs towards the rocky cliffs behind the school. 

 

She can still hear the commotion behind her the further she gets and she eventually finds a rock far enough and high enough on the cliffs to sit on, where she can no longer hear anything. She shuts her eyes and tries to slow down her breathing to calm herself, but she can still feel that heat, and her hands feel like they’re burning even though she doesn't feel much (if any) pain. 

 

She eventually calms down but that unsettling heat never leaves.

 

“Trini?” she hears a voice from behind her and she stands up abruptly and turning around to see none other than Kimberly Hart. 

 

“What are you doing here?” Trini asks as she backs away from the other girl even though she’s a little too close to the edge of the cliff.

 

“I was looking for you. Well the boys and I were. You looked freaked out back there and we got worried when you ran off so we split up to look for you. There’s only four of us so we tried to cover as much ground as possible to find you.” She reaches out to Trini “Are you okay?” Trini steps back, to try and avoid touching anyone else at all costs.

 

“I’m fine” she chokes out.

 

“Trini” Kimberly says as she reaches out again, slower this time, but Trini still pulls away.

 

“Please don't touch me” she says as she tries to hold back a sob. Kimberly frowns and retracts her hand and waits for Trini to make a move first.

 

 “So that’s your mutation huh? Fire?” Kimberly asks as she sits down on a large log behind her. Trini relaxes now that Kimberly is far enough to not get hurt and she sighs.

 

“Yeah. I _feel_ it spreading. It doesn't hurt but I can feel it burn, and it feels all warm, sometimes _too_ warm and then my hands are on fire and I-I hurt people.” she rubs her hands absentmindedly. “And it always starts spreading all over me but I don't know how far it can actually go and I’m just- I cant control it. And I know it scares people because I’m basically a walking, unpredictable inferno-” she rambles.

 

“Hey” Kimberly says softly as she gets up and steps closer. But she still stays far enough for Trini’s comfort. “We all have crazy powers and you’re not the only one who can’t control them. You’re not alone. You’re gonna learn how to control them soon enough and it’ll be fine. Don’t worry bout it okay?” she soothes. “And what you did back there, helping Jason in that fight? That was awesome” she smiles and Trini can’t help but smile back. They sit there in comfortable silence for a few more minutes before the boys find them.

 

“Hey there crazy girl!” Zack yells. “That was some badass stuff back there!”

 

“Crazy girl?” Trini asks raising an eyebrow at him.

 

“Well yeah. It’s your first day here and you’re already getting into and ending fights, and running up cliffs. So you’re ‘crazy girl’ now” Trini chuckles, accepting the nickname and she looks up to Jason who’s now standing next to her.

 

“Trini, thank you for what you did back there. I appreciate it” He leans in to hug her but she pulls back and he realizes what she’s saying and pulls back.  “Sorry. I forgot” he says as he takes a seat next to Billy on one of the larger boulders.

 

“You know. It’s pretty nice up here. Would be a great place to set up a fire and sit around it with some drinks. You know? Just to hang out, get to know each other?” Zack says. Everyone arounds nods or says ‘yes’ and Trini starts wondering how she got lucky enough to meet this group on her first day, because they already seem to care. She looks to Kimberly who’s sitting on a log across from her and when the other girl looks up and gives her a warm smile she cant help but smile back.

 

“So you guys know my powers. What are yours?” Trini asks as she looks to the other four around her. Billy stands up.

 

“Well, you kinda saw mine back at the game. When the fight started” he then closes his eyes and brings up his hands up and focuses on them. Then they start glowing, and Trini’s eyes widen as little blue lightning bolts of electricity are flickering around his hands. Then the glowing stops and and the electricity is gone and Billy lets out a breath that Trini didn't notice he was holding.

 

“That’s how much I can muster up without losing control” he says and he sits back down. 

 

Jason goes next. He doesn't stand up but he closes his eyes and starts breathing slowly before some red energy is forming around his hand.

 

“I can make these energy beams and make things. I made a sword with it once” he says. “But it was only for like five seconds and I haven't really learned to form anything else. Yet.”

 

Zack stands up next. “You wanna see something _really_ impressive crazy girl?” he says and Trini scoffs but she’s immediately taken aback when Zack’s skin is covered in some sort of shiny metal. He flexes his arms a bit which earns him a few laughs and then the metal is receding back to his chest and it’s completely gone from covering his skin. “Told you you’d be impressed” he grins and Trini just throws a pebble at him and they all laugh. She then turns her attention to Kimberly, who’s smile fades as soon as she realizes what Trini’s waiting for.

 

“I have telekinesis” she says.

 

“Aren’t you gonna show her?” Zack asks.

 

“I’d rather not. It’s kinda hard to control and I only use it when we train” she says as she wrings her hands together.

 

“That’s cool. I can wait till training” Trini says and smiles at the other girl reassuringly.

 

“I think it’s about time we get back to school. Alpha’s probably out looking for us by now” Jason says as he stands up and waits for the others to follow him as he makes his way down the cliffs.

 

* * *

 

 The next morning, Trini’s woken up by the sound of Kimberly’s alarm blaring. She turns and looks at her own clock. It’s 8am but she stayed up late hanging out with Kimberly and the guys in one of the lounges downstairs, so she’s hoping she can sleep in. But that hope is crushed when she hears Kimberly shuffling around before calling her name softly.

 

“Trini” she whispers again. Trini hears her moving again and she can practically feel her hovering over her as she stands next to her bed. She groans and buries her head under her pillow as Kimberly pokes her arm.

 

“Trini, we’ve got training in half an hour. We gotta get some breakfast” Kimberly says.

 

“It’s too early” Trini’s voice is muffled through her pillow and she can hear Kimberly chuckle.

 

“I totally forgot to tell you that training would be kinda early, but we still gotta go” she continues. Trini sighs and turns around to sit up in her bed. She rubs her eyes and yawns before she stands up to get some clothes from one of her closet drawers. She notices Kimberly is already dressed for the day (with some black skinny jeans and a pink shirt).

 

“I’ll be in the dining room waiting” she says before she leaves the room, letting Trini get ready. 

 

When she finally does, she makes her way down to the large dining room where she finds Kimberly seated at one of the many round tables with the guys. She gathers her own breakfast from the kitchen and she sits down between Billy and Kimberly.

 

She notices Billy eating his eggs with a wooden fork and she looks at him curiously.

“Wood doesn't conduct electricity” he says when he sees her studying his fork curiously. “I can’t control my powers enough to eat with a metal spoon because the metal _does_ conduct electricity. I burnt my tater tots on my first day. It was actually really disappointing” he explains.

 

Trini chuckles and nods and when they all finish their food, she follows them down the hall. They stop in front of the elevator that Alpha told her was off limits unless she had permission. Jason puts in a code in the keypad on the wall next to the elevator doors and they slide open. The metal elevator lights up and they all step in and the elevator goes down as soon as the doors close.

 

Trini feels her heart racing as she thinks about the upcoming training session. She doesn't really know what to expect and the only thing she knows about it, is that it’s about controlling their powers. But she doesn't really know if she _can_ ever control her own powers. The doors slide open again and Trini follows the others down a short hallway into a room. Alpha is there and Zordon’s floating head is on one of the large screens on the wall to her left. It’s a small room with a large control panel with a glass window over it to her right. On the other side of the glass window, there’s a large empty room, about the size of two or three basketball courts.

 

“Ah there you all are!” Alpha says excitedly. “Ready for training?” he asks, but he’s already back at the control panel setting a few things up before anyone has the chance to answer. “So who’s going first?” he asks as he looks to the five of them. “Trini you don't need to go first. I think you should see one of the others first, to see how this is all done” he explains and Trini nods.

 

“I guess I’ll go first” Kimberly says as she steps forward. She turns to Trini “You know, since you didn't get to see me use my powers last night” she winks and makes her out of the door and into the hallway they just came from.

 

“So this is the training simulation room” Alpha says. “It uses holograms to create simulations or help you train and control your powers.”

 

“Holograms? So none of it is real?” Trini asks.

 

“It may not be real, but it definitely _feels_ real, crazy girl” Zack says from behind her as he rubs the back of his neck as if he’s recalling a previous painful experience.

 

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to do any of that stuff yet. We’re still gonna have to figure out the extent of your powers first” Alpha continues and Trini gets nervous again just by the thought of using her powers.

 

A few minutes later Kimberly emerges from one of the doors in the large room on the other side of the window wearing a pink and dark-gray suit with a small glowing purple chest-piece in the center of her chest. She looks up at the window and nods and Alpha types a few things into the control panel’s keyboard and presses a few buttons before a few lights flicker around the room and suddenly a few metal barrels are on the floor surrounding Kimberly.

 

Kimberly closes her eyes and raises her hand in the direction of one of the barrels in front of her. In a few seconds it slowly raises off the ground and Trini stares in awe as Kimberly makes it levitate in the air, and brings up her other hand to spin it around in the air. There’s a light pink aura covering her hands and her fingers, which is probably a part of her powers. She raises the rest of the barrels and tosses them around the room.

 

“Good work Kimberly” Alpha says through the microphone. Time for some defense now” he says as he pushes another button. The room goes a little darker for a few seconds as some blue lights start forming three large rock figures from the ground.

 

“Those are putties” Alpha says. “They’re simulations that we use for training, and they _may_ be holograms but they can still physically hurt you. It’s like a hard light thing.”

 

“They pack a mean punch, _don't_ they, Zack?” Jason says as he grins at the other boy. Zack grumbles and Trini laughs as she turns her attention back to Kimberly who’s levitating the metal barrels and throwing them at the putties. The putties seem to adjust and throw rocks in her direction, which she stops midair with her telekinesis. She runs around, avoiding getting hit, and throws a few more barrels at the putties for a while before Alpha presses a few more buttons. The putties instantly disappear.

 

“Ok Kimberly, that’s enough for now. Wait in the locker rooms so you can help Trini get her suit” he says as he turns around to Trini.

 

“Alright Trini, before we start I want to ask you a few questions about your powers” Alpha says as he grabs a notepad and a pen. Before Trini can respond he continues. “Do you produce the flames yourself or do you control preexisting flames?”

 

“I create the flames” she says hesitantly.

 

“And does it burn you at all? Do you feel it affecting you?” 

 

“It doesn't burn too much but it gets really hot sometimes” she says.

 

“Okay, get into your suit and then we’ll figure out some more when you’re in the simulation room” Alpha says as he lowers the notepad which he was previously taking notes on. When you walk out of this room, there’s a door on your left and the stairs lead down to the locker rooms. Kimberly will help you out from there” he says and Trini nods before she leaves the room and makes her way to the locker rooms.

 

The locker room is huge. There’s large open showers, a lot of lockers, toilet stalls, dressing room stalls and a few benches. And it looks really clean. Kimberly is leaning against one of the lockers, still in her training suit when she notices her come in.

 

“Pretty clean for a locker room right?” Kimberly says as she sees Trini inspecting the room in awe.

 

“Yeah” she breathes.

 

“So yellow’s your favorite color huh?” Kimberly asks and Trini stares at her, confused. “Your suit is yellow. Alpha always asks either us or our parents what our favorite color is so he can have our suits made in that color” she explains. “It’s unnecessary, but thoughtful”

 

“Of course yours is _pink_ ” Trini grins.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kimberly asks with a mock gasp.

 

“I’m just teasing princess. Pink looks really good on you”

 

“Calling me princess _and_ giving me a compliment? Wow Trini, I can already tell we’re gonna be great friends” she says as she hands Trini her suit. The suit looks just like Kimberly’s but the pink is replaced with yellow. Trini changes in one of the dressing rooms and when she walks out, she cant help but notice Kimberly staring and she looks down at herself, noticing how the tight suit wraps around her curves. Kimberly looks up again and smiles and Trini thinks she sees her blushing. Kimberly leads her to a large metal door and presses a button that causes the door to slide open.

 

“Good luck in there. I’ll be watching from right here” she smiles as she points at the large tv screen on the wall next to the door and Trini smiles back before she makes her way into the simulation room. The door slides shut and seals behind her and she makes her way to the middle of the room as she waits for Alpha’s instructions.

 

“Alright Trini, what I want you to do right now is start up your powers. We wanna test out how far you can go with them” Alpha says.

 

“And don't be afraid to give as much as you can. Your suit was made to take any heat you produce and the simulation room can withstand _anything_. We can also watch you heart rate and bio scans through the suit so we’ll know if something’s wrong” She hears Zordon’s voice over the speakers, reminding her that he’s also there, no matter how quiet he’s been this whole time. Trini nods and closes her eyes, focusing on starting her flames. After a few minutes of trying with Alpha reassuring her that it’s not a problem because everyone struggles with activating their powers in the beginning, she finally feels that familiar heat creeping up her spine and spreading through her body. She feels it on her hands and when she looks at them, they’re engulfed in flames. She starts panicking as the flames start reaching her elbows, which they never have before but Alpha tells her that it’s fine and she can let it spread. It’s up to her shoulders and before she realizes it, her entire body, including her head and face, is covered in bright yellow and orange flames. It feels so much hotter than it ever has before and it may not burn her, but it still feels slightly suffocating.

 

“Trini, this next part might be uncomfortable, but I’m gonna raise the heat in there to see just how hot you can take the flames” Alpha says and Trini nods. 

 

She can feel the room and her flames getting hotter and she feels stronger and powerful with it all. But then her mind starts drifting to thoughts of her hurting people, and of her new friends seeing her like this. She probably doesn't even look human to them right now. What would her parents think if they could see her now? 

 

And Kimberly. She’s probably freaked out over seeing this. Trini doesn't notice Alpha calling her name the first few times but when she finally _does_ she looks up from where her gaze was fixed on the ground in front of her and unclenches her fists. The flames have spread around her in the room and onto the walls. She tries to bring the heat down but her overwhelming emotions of rage and panic are still there and the flames just keep getting stronger. It starts feeling like it’s _too_ hot and it’s getting a little harder to breathe every second.

 

“I can’t stop it!” she yells as she looks up to the glass window where Alpha and the boys are. 

 

Then all of a sudden she feels something cold hitting her from above and the flames around her and on her start going off. She looks up seeing the white powder like air - like a giant fire extinguisher- and some water being sprayed all over the room from the ceiling. She’s out of breath as the fire goes out and she still feels that heat all over her body but it’s too much to bear so she rushes towards the door and as it slides open, she runs past Kimberly who’s sitting on one of the benches in front to the large tv and towards the showers.

 

She turns on the cold water as cold as it can get and stands under the shower head, letting herself soak in it and she can see the smoke coming off her body as it sizzles. 

 

“Trini!” she hears Kimberly yell as she makes her way into the showers. She looks worried and a little frightened. “Are you okay?” she asks as she walks closer to the shorter girl. Trini pulls back quickly.

 

“Please don't touch me!” she yells as she feels the panic start to rise again. The cold water is starting to help her cool off and Kimberly stares at her in shock before her face softens and she nods.

 

“Just- Just leave me alone Kimberly. Please” she whimpers and she can see that Kimberly wants to walk over to her and wants to comfort her, but she follows Trini’s wishes and walks out of the showers. Trini feels herself break down once Kimberly is out of sight, and she starts sobbing, her tears feeling much warmer than the cold shower water that’s running down her cheeks.

 

* * *

 

When she finally cools down and leaves the showers, she notices that she's now alone in the locker rooms and she walks up to one of the mirrors by the sink. Her suit, which was supposed to withstand her flames, is ripped and burnt on her left shoulder. She clenches the sides of the sink and lets out a frustrated sigh before she turns on the tap water,to splash some more cold water on her face.

 

She hears the locker room’s entrance door open behind her but she keeps her eyes shut and doesn't look up.

 

“Trini” Alpha’s voice comes up behind her, but she still doesn't look up behind her. “Kimberly told me you were… distressed.”

 

“I’m fine” she snaps.

 

“Trini what happened in the simulation room wasn't unusual. A lot of young mutants don't have control over their powers but they learn over time to-”

 

“I don’t have the time to patiently learn how to control this” Trini interrupts. “I’ve hurt someone before and what happened in there… It proves that I can hurt a lot more people if I don't learn to control it.”

 

“And we will help you control it. All of us” he pauses and Trini finally looks up and turns around to look at him.

 

“I didn't mean to yell. It’s just- Whenever this happens I get really angry and it just gets worse.” Alpha nods reassuringly.

 

“Back to that comment you made about anger. Is rage what activates your ability?”

 

“I-I don’t know. I just know it makes it stronger, and more uncontrollable” Trini says as she makes her way to the bench where her other clothes are.

 

“Interesting” Alpha says from behind her. “I’ll take note on everything that happened today and we’ll figure this out. Okay? Don't worry” he says. Trini nods but stays silent. “Training’s over for today for you. Go rest. We’ll try again next Saturday” he says before he leaves the room. 

 

Trini takes off her training suit and puts on her clothes before leaving the room. She sees Zack coming down the stairs across from her. It’s probably his turn to train.

 

“Hey there crazy girl” he says with a soft smile. “You okay?”

 

“Not really. Is uhm- Is Kimberly-”

 

“She left a while ago. Went to her room. Or _your_ room I guess.”

 

“Thanks Zack” she says.

 

“Don’t worry about it. And we’re all here for you. We’re friends now” he says before he starts walking down the stairs and into the locker room.

 

Trini stands there for a while. _Friends_. Is that what they are now? They’ve only known her for a day and they’ve already accepted her into her group. 

 

She thinks of how they all basically just Trini exposed. Trini at full power. Just how dangerous she is. And they’re not pushing her away. It’s a strange but reassuring feeling. She snaps herself out of her thoughts and rushes up the stairs and down the hall to the elevator. When she’s back to the main floor she basically runs to her bedroom, and she doesn't know why, but her body is telling her that getting to Kimberly is an urgent matter.

 

She opens the door a little too fast and sees Kimberly sitting on her bed with her earphones listening to some music. Kimberly looks up at her and gives her a sheepish smile.

 

“Kim-” she starts, but the words get caught in her throat and she can feel her pulse racing as she stares at the other girl, who’s already pulled out her earphones. “Kim I- I’m sorry. I shouldn't have-”

 

“Trini it’s okay” Kimberly says as she stands up from her bed and walks up to Trini.

 

“No it’s not. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I just- I didn't want to hurt you”

 

“I get it Trin. I do. The rest of us are going through the same thing. Not exactly to the extent of what _you’re_ going through, but still… We get it” she smiles. “And if you don't want any of us touching you, totally not a big deal. Just say the word.”

 

“I don’t want to hurt any of you” Trini sighs.

 

“You’ll get control soon enough. And then I can touch you as much as you want” Trini tries to hide her blush at that, and she knows that _that’s_ not what Kimberly meant but still.

 

“We can go watch the others train if you want” Kimberly continues and Trini agrees and follows her out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a bit shorter than the last one but I wanted to get an update out and I'm already working on the next one. Also thanks for your nice comments on the last chapter! There's a bit more Trimberly in this chapter, but I'm planning on a slowburn.

After almost two weeks at this school, Trini’s really starting to get used to it. Zack, Jason, Billy and Kimberly have been the only students that she mainly interacts with and they’ve definitely gotten a lot closer over time. They go to classes on weekdays, then training on Saturdays and they spend almost all their free time together. Especially Trini and Kim. With the whole being roommates thing and all.

 

She _does_ feel a lot closer to Kimberly than with the boys but that probably has to do with the fact that they’re roommates and they spend more time together and _definitely_ not because of any _other_ reason like the kind of feelings that you shouldn't have for your straight friend/roomate. Definitely not.

 

All she can do as she sits behind Kimberly in Biology class, is push those thoughts aside. Even as she can't help but watch how the other girl chews on the back of her pen when she's really focused or when plays with her short locks when she gets bored and sometimes she even turns around to see if Trini is equally as bored and gives her a smile. One time when they were watching an unusually long and tedious documentary with the lights off and everything, Trini accidentally drifted off to sleep and when Kimberly looked back and noticed, she used her telekinesis to toss a couple of pens at her, jolting her awake and then laughing at her reaction.

 

This time when Trini gets to class, she doesn't see Kimberly in her usual seat up front and she frowns. As she makes her way to the back of the class to her own seat she notices a familiar black and pink backpack on a desk unusually close to hers. And Kimberly is sitting at that desk busying herself with something on her phone which she immediately puts down when she spots Trini.

 

“Hey!” Kimberly says, giving her a smile.

 

“Hey. Uhm- What are you doing back here?” Trini asks.

 

“Well we’re doing partner projects for the next few weeks so I used this opportunity to finally come sit next to you” she says. And wait, she’s been waiting for an opportunity to come sit next to her?

 

“C-Cool” is all she’s able to say as she takes her seat next to Kimberly. Class goes by a lot quicker with Kimberly sitting next to her, talking to her every time their professor turns around or when Kimberly draws or scribbles on Trini’s hand with her pink highlighter. 

 

When class is over and they make their way down the hallway, Kimberly’s phone buzzes. She unlocks it and reads the text with a frown. Trini gives Kimberly a curious look but she sighs and tells her she’ll ‘explain some other time.’ It’s comforting, knowing that Kimberly and the others are kind of her friends now, but they don't actually know _that_ much about each other. Trini knows that there’s things they definitely don't know about _her_ and it’s become clear now that that’s the case the other way around.

 

She considers mentioning it but things seem so easy with her new friends and she’s actually happy. Revealing their deepest darkest secrets to each other would most likely change things. 

 

So she follows Kimberly in silence down the hall. Kimberly seems a bit more closed off than she was a few minutes ago before she got that text, but Trini doesn't want to force her to talk about it. So they continue in silence before Kimberly smiles at Trini and waves at her as she makes her way into her next class. Trini’s next class is history. Zack sits next to her in that class which helps time go by faster. Like Kimberly, he also uses his powers for small things outside of training on Saturdays. Trini figures it’s probably because they’ve been training a lot longer than her so they have more control, but Trini doesn't even wanna  _think_ about using her powers around people that she could possibly hurt.

 

Right now their professor is going over some of the injustices mutants faced in the 1970s which still affects how they’re treated today. It’s an interesting topic, because Trini is really seeing how badly mutants are treated, but Zack is distracting her by using his powers to try and pick up things without crushing them. The metal that covers his body, is more of a defensive power but it also makes him a lot stronger than he should be when he’s covered with it, which makes it hard for him to pick things up and not break them. 

 

Right now, just his hand is covered in that familiar shiny metal, and he’s practicing with the various pens spilled on their desk. Two of the pens he broke were Trini’s and she glares at him but he promises to get her new ones like he always does when he breaks her stuff. He never actually does but she doesn't mind. They're just pens.

 

What _does_ bother her is the looks Zack is getting from other classmates. He’s too focused on what he’s doing to actually notice but Trini does. She sees the same kind of looks being directed at Kimberly, Billy and Jason too. _She_ even gets those looks now. The looks of fear or uncertainty or even anger. The red haired bully made it clear at the basketball game two weeks ago how the rest of the students felt about the five of them. They can’t control their powers, which makes them unpredictable. Like they're a representation of that mutant stereotype of mutants being dangerous to everyone around them. People even started avoiding standing near Trini. They were afraid of her and all she could think about was how they were right.

 

After that class ended, Trini’s classes finished for the day. It’s a Friday so she doesn't really have anything else to do, which just leaves her with the option to just relax in her room. Kimberly isn't there when she walks in, so she just grabs her headphones and her backpack before leaving the room and locking the door behind her. She found a spot at the cliffs where she prefers to spend her time when she’s alone. It’s quiet and there’s nothing and no one around that she could hurt if she loses control of her powers.

 

She sees Kimberly when she makes her way down the stairs. She’s walking down the hallway talking to Jason and smiles at Trini. She smiles back and waves before walking out the front door. 

 

She noticed that Kimberly hangs out with Jason a lot. Kimberly once mentioned how she and Jason and Billy went to the same high school so they knew each other before coming here. Zack was at the same school but he barely ever went to class so they rarely saw him. Kimberly insists that there isn't anything going between her and Jason besides the fact that they’re close friends, but Trini doesn't entirely believe her and she feels that tinge of jealousy that she gets every time she thinks about. Billy and Jason also seem really close, closer than Kimberly and Jason actually, and Zack recently announced Trini as his new favorite from the group, so they’ve also gotten close over the past couple of weeks.

 

When she finally gets to her spot she drops her bag by a nearby large rock and puts on her headphones, blasting her music. She always used to mediate, especially with her loud heavy metal music blasting thorough her ears, but Alpha recently told her that meditating could help her in the process of controlling her abilities, so she does it almost daily now.

 

About twenty minutes later she gets a text from Kimberly asking her if she’s at the cliffs and when she types back that she is, Kimberly replies saying that she’s on her way there. She does that sometimes. She just joins Trini on the cliffs and sometimes they stay out late, talking until it gets dark out. Reading Kimberly’s texts when she says she’s on her way to join her always puts a smile on her face, no matter how bad her day was because she enjoys the other girl’s company, and the fact that Kimberly enjoys their time together too just makes it so much better.

 

About fifteen minutes go by and Kimberly should be showing up at any moment so when she takes off her headphones all she can hear is someone yelling “LOOK OUT!” and before she can react or even realize what’s going on, something hits the cliffside under her and the ground shakes before the rocks beneath her start crumbling and the edge of the cliff that she was standing on suddenly falls, and her along with it. She sees the dust and the rocks falling around her as she falls and she screams and closes her eyes preparing herself for the inevitable impact with the ground which never comes. 

 

When she opens her eyes again she’s floating. Like literally levitating in the air. She doesn't notice that her shoulders are on fire at first because most of the times she doesn't realize when her powers start up and then she starts rapidly patting her shoulders to put out the flames. When she looks down, Kimberly is standing below her with her hands raised and the glowing pink aura is surrounding them. She seems to be struggling with keeping Trini in the air for so long so she slowly starts bringing her down to the ground. 

 

“I got you Trin” she struggles.

 

She’s told Trini that she’s still learning how to use her telekinesis with heavier things, like actual people, so she’s relieved that Kimberly hasn't actually dropped her yet. 

 

Which was a thought she should've waited to have when she safely reached the ground because at about fifteen feet, Kimberly accidentally drops her, and she lands on her knees and then her stomach with a thud. Kimberly is breathing heavily as she rushes over to her and Trini groans as she rolls over onto her back.

 

“Oh shit! Trini are you okay?!”

 

“Could’ve been worse” she groans as she clutches her chest. “I just got the wind knocked out of me but it’s a lot better than what would've happened if you weren't here” she says and notices how a smile lights up on Kimberly’s face from that comment. Kimberly helps her stand up and Trini bends over with her hands on her knees trying to breathe normally again.

 

“What _was_ that?” she says between her heavy breathing.

 

“Guys!” They hear from behind them and when they turn around they see Billy, Jason and Zack making their way over to them.

 

“I think I might know” Kimberly sighs.

 

“Are you guys okay?” Jason says frantically.

 

“Yeah” Kimberly replies and Trini can feel her hand on her shoulder. “Probably just a few bruises. Sorry for dropping you” she says with an apologetic look on her face.

 

“It’s fine” Trini says before looking back at the boys. “What exactly happened?”

 

“Uhm well-” Jason starts. “We were just messing around with our powers and practicing and uh- Billy kind of- there was a stray lightning bolt and he… accidentally blew up the part of the cliff you were standing on”

 

“I’m _so_ sorry Trini! I swear I didn't mean to, I just lost control and that lighting bolt went the wrong way and- I’m sorry Tr-”

 

“It’s okay Billy don't worry about it. I’m fine. Kim caught me.”

 

“She _caught_ you huh?” Zack says, suddenly next to her. She elbows him in the ribs.

 

“I’m just glad you're both okay” Jason says. 

 

Before anyone can says something else, an alarm goes off in the distance. They look back, realizing it’s from the school. “That sounds like the fire alarm” Jason continues. “Come on lets go.”

 

_Fire_. Trini thinks. Maybe not the best idea for her to be around fire. She’d probably make it worse.

 

“Uh you guys go ahead, I don't think-” she sighs. “I’ll be right behind you” The guys nod and start running down the hill back to the school. Kimberly on the other hand, stays behind and looks at Trini expectantly. “What?”

 

“What’s wrong?” Kimberly asks.

 

“Nothing I just- don't wanna be down there if there’s a possibility of a fire because of- you know... No big deal.”

 

“Trini you'll be fine” Kimberly smiles. “And it’s most likely not even a fire. That fire alarm goes off for other reasons sometimes too. For example, when there’s an explosion at the cliffs and the school wants all their students to go back inside to make sure they’re alright.”

 

Trini sighs. “Okay” she nods. “Let’s go.” 

 

 

* * *

 

 

When they get back to the school, surely enough Alpha is running around worriedly looking for the students on his list.

 

“Trini?! Is Trini here? Has anyone seen Trini?” he asks as he makes his way through the large crowd of students standing outside in the school’s front yard.

 

“I’m right here Alpha” she calls out as she and Kimberly make their way over to him.

 

“Oh thank goodness!” he says as he writes something down on his list. “And Kimberly is here too” he makes another note.

 

“So is this about the explosion by the cliffs?” Kimberly asks offhandedly and Trini stares at her with a shocked expression because it’s like she’s _trying_ to get them in trouble.

 

“Partly” Alpha says.

 

“What do you mean _partly_?” Trini asks. “What else is this about?”

 

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing that’ll effect you. I have you marked down present and safe, so you can both go back to your room if you’d like to.” Alpha says before making his way through the crowd and looking for more students. 

 

Trini looks to Kimberly and sees a pensive look on her face. “What’s wrong?” she asks. Kimberly suddenly grabs Trini’s wrist and leads her into the house. They go upstairs and into one of the lounges with a tv. Kimberly shuts the door behind them and pulls Trini to the couch before turning on the tv.

 

“Kim what are you-”

 

“Whenever there’s some kind of nationwide event with mutants, Alpha and Zordon get us all inside like it’s a big emergency or whatever. They get worried even when it may not be that big of a deal” Kimberly says as she flips through the channels until she finds the news. Trini almost doesn't notice Zack jump on the couch right next to her, with Billy and Jason entering the room behind him.

 

“So you guys here for the news too?” Trini asks.

 

“Yup!” Every time” Zack says.

 

“So this happens often?” Trini continues.

 

“Yeah. There’s mutant emergencies at least once a month” Jason adds. 

 

They all go silent when Kimberly finds the channel she was looking for with a couple of news anchors discussing the ‘mutant matter in society,’ probably because of whatever happened that has Alpha on edge.

 

Then they start showing a mug-shot of a woman with dark hair called Rita, who somehow escaped some advanced mutant prison somewhere outside Angel Grove. Even if the prison _was_ near them, why would this woman be an issue for the school? The anchors don't give any details on the woman or her abilities, but they _do_ say that she's dangerous and the ‘proper authorities should be informed’ if anyone sees her.

 

“What are you all doing in here?” Alpha’s voice suddenly comes from the doorway, startling them all. Kimberly immediately grabs the remote and turns off the tv.

 

“Why are you trying to hide the fact that you were watching the news?” Alpha asks, and the five teenagers just stare at each other, waiting for one of them to answer. “We don't forbid you guys from watching the news, you know” Alpha continues. “Zordon and I are aware of Rita escaping, but that doesn't affect any of you. We weren't trying to purposefully keep it from you.”

 

“Then who is she?” Trini asks.

 

“She was an old friend” Zordon’s voice suddenly says through the tv. The tv turns on, revealing Zordon’s head. Of course he would be connected to every piece of technology in this house. Trini just hopes he cant do that with her phone. “She founded the school with me years ago. There were six of us, and we were partners.”

 

“Then why the hell is she in prison?” Zack jumps in.

 

“We had a few disagreements. Rita followed in the footsteps in certain other mutants, who don't believe mutants could get along with non-mutants. She became… violent in the efforts of her cause.”

 

“How violent?” Jason asks.

 

“She killed our other four partners. The same ones who founded the school with us. She killed our _friends_ … And then she went on killing humans. Innocent civilians. She was intending on starting a war between mutants and humans. She even brought a few young mutants to her side.” Zordon says.

 

“So what are her powers?” Jason asks again.

 

“Well” Alpha says. “Her powers are a bit complicated. Her main ability, is being able to absorb energy and abilities from other mutants.”

 

“Uhm what do you mean _main_ ability?” Trini says.

 

“We’ve discovered over time, that when she uses her ability on a mutant for too long, she can kill them and ultimately keep their powers for good. So far she has permanently absorbed the powers of her former friends.” Alpha says. Trini hears Kimberly mumble ‘who does that?’ from next to her.

 

“She has the ability to teleport, the ability to read and slightly control and influence minds, the ability to control certain elements like fire or earth and even metal, but she can't produce them like Trini does with fire, and telekinesis” Alpha says with a sigh after he finishes listing all her powers.

 

“That’s a lot of party tricks” Zack mutters.

 

“So she’s dangerous” Jason says. “What does she want exactly? Is there a possibility she could come here?”

 

“It’s definitely possible. A school full of mutants… That would be a lot of powers she could absorb” Alpha stops himself when he see the horrified looks on their faces. “But that’s only a small possibility!” he quickly adds. “She’s mostly interested in her war against non-mutants. So I’ll see you all art training tomorrow!” he says before he leaves the room.

 

“So _that_ was a little horrifying. Who knew Alpha had it in him to deliver a scary ghost story like that?” Zack says and Trini laughs as Zack tries to lighten the mood. “Anyone up for some Mario Kart?” he asks. Billy and Jason agree and Billy promises he won’t overpower and ruin the Wii this time with his powers. Zack asks Trini if she wants to join but Kimberly asked her if she wanted to play pool with her, and how could she say no to _that?_ So she walks to the other side of the room where the pool table is. The tv is around the corner of the wall on their left in it’s own section of the large room, so they can’t really see the boys and the boys can’t see them, but they can definitely hear them as they start yelling when getting competitive.

 

Trini takes off her dark green jacket, leaving her in her tank top so it can be easier for her to play. Kimberly suddenly freezes as she lines up the cue ball, and _stares_. Trini pretends not to notice but when she looks up, Kimberly immediately looks back down to what she was doing and takes her shot. 

 

She gets three balls in before she miss on the fourth and it’s Trini’s turn. Trini lines up her shot as Kimberly is bent over and has her elbows on the edge of the table and her chin in her hands. Trini gets the ball from her first shot straight in. She gets a smile from Kimberly and she moves around the table to take her next shot. Then another. On her next one, she needs to hit the ball from the side of the table which Kimberly is leaning against, but Kimberly is too lost in her own thoughts to notice.

 

She clears her throat trying to get her attention “Uhm Kim” she says, and Kimberly apologizes and immediately shoots up from the table she’s leaning against and turns around abruptly, which has her facing Trini right in the face. She stares at her for a few seconds and her mouth opens like she's about to say something but she looks unfocused. Trini swallows, feeling nervous with Kimberly standing this close, and Kimberly isn't moving. She's just _standing_ there, her eyes staring into Trini’s and for one fleeting moment, Kimberly’s eyes look down. At Trini’s lips more specifically and Trini’s holding her breath. Kimberly then blinks, as if she’s realizing what she’s doing and she steps to the side, giving Trini space to line up her shot.

 

“Sorry” Kimberly mutters again.

 

“Don’t worry about it” Trini says as she leans over and takes her shot. She misses this one which isn’t a surprise at all, so she moves to the side giving Kimberly room to take her turn. Kimberly gets in a couple of her shots but misses on the third. 

 

“So all this Rita stuff. Crazy right?” Kimberly says as she attempts to break the silence that had taken over a few minutes go, after that short moment which started this awkward tension between them. 

 

“Yeah. Totally crazy.”

 

“I mean, who does that to their friends and then lives with it without any guilt whatsoever? It’s just- It’s fucked up.”

 

“Yeah” Trini mutters. The awkward silence takes over again until they finish their game. Trini hadn't even noticed that it was dark out. She and Kimberly sit on the couch behind the boys who are still sitting on the floor in front of the tv playing Mario Kart. 

 

The gap between them is a little larger than usual and there’s a new kind of tension now between the two of them that she’s too scared to mess with. So she just lets the awkward silence take over.

 

Trini eventually joins the boys with Mario Kart and Kimberly even gets a few turns when Jason gets too frustrated after losing too many times and quits. They play for a few more hours until it starts getting later and they decide to head back to their rooms.

 

As they part their ways to go to their separate rooms Kimberly stops and looks back at Jason and Billy. “Hey Trin?” she say. I’ll be back in a while. I gotta handle something first” Trini nods and Kimberly rushes over to Jason and taps his shoulder. Trini turns around and makes her way back to her room. 

 

When she gets there she realizes that she's sweating so she takes off her jacket, but that familiar heat is spreading throughout her body again. Their bedroom’s bathroom is right by the door and a cold shower would help cool her down, but Alpha’s recommendation was that she started practicing cooling down without water. So she slows her breaths and tries to focus on the emotion that just triggered her powers. All she feels is anger and a tad bit of jealousy after seeing Kimberly leave with Jason. So she keeps breathing at a slower pace and she feels her own nails digging into her palms. Eventually she calms down and the heat starts to recede a few minutes later. She’s still sitting on the edge of her bed with her eyes shut and her breaths coming out slowly. When the bedroom door opens, she doesn't move.

 

“Trin? You okay?” Kimberly says as she cautiously walks towards her.

 

“Yeah I’m good. Just needed a minute” she says and Kimberly nods before moving to her own bed. 

 

Then like always, Kimberly changes into her pajamas. It’s something they’ve gotten used to. Kimberly explained that when you're a cheerleader, you learn to change in front of all those other girls in the locker rooms, so it doesn't really become something you think about after that, so she was pretty comfortable with changing in front of Trini very early on. And that made Trini feel more comfortable with changing in front of Kimberly.

 

But tonight is different because, all those feelings that Trini has for Kimberly just came rushing back, after a small but probably insignificant moment between them. Now that Kimberly is changing in front of her, it feels different. Like she shouldn't be watching her, and because she might suspect something.

 

So Trini turns around and changes into her own pajamas. When she pulls off her jeans, she feels a sting on her knees and after she puts on her shorts, she sits down and examines her knees, which are covered in scrapes and dry blood, and pulling off her jeans opened a few of the small wounds so she’s lightly bleeding again. 

 

“Shit” she mumbles and she walks into the bathroom to start wiping her knees but Kimberly is quickly following her.

 

“Ouch” she hisses. “I have a first aid kit under my bed, follow me.” Kimberly then disappears back to the room and Trini sighs before following her. Kimberly is kneeled down next to her bed and she opens up the first aid kit next to her bed and pats the edge of her bed for Trini to sit on it.

 

When she does Kimberly immediately sprays something on her wounds and she hisses.

 

“Sorry. I thought it wouldn't hurt as much if you weren't expecting it”

 

“No that definitely hurt” she groans again.

 

Kimberly starts dabbing the wound with a cloth and then wiping it. Trini’s eyes are squeezed shut and she's wincing every time Kimberly touches her knees with the cloth.

 

"I guess this a good time to apologize for dropping you again" Kimberly says, and Trini lets out a shirt laugh as she smiles at the other girl.

 

When Kimberly finishes cleaning up her left knee, she puts her left hand on Trini’s right thigh, just above her knee, as if she’s trying to comfort her before she sprays some of the antibiotic spray on her knee and Trini winces again. She hears Kimberly apologize again as she grabs a new cloth from the first aid kit and starts wiping her scrapes. These ones are a bit deeper than the scrapes on her other leg so Kimberly’s touch is softer and more cautious. Her hand on Trini’s thigh grips a bit tighter every time Trini winces and she looks up giving her an apologetic look each time. 

 

When she finishes cleaning the second wound she grabs two large band aids from the kit and slowly places them on Trini’s scraped knees. Her hand is settled on Trini’s knee and she softly brushes the band aid with her thumb before standing up.

 

“That should be okay” Kimberly says and Trini thanks her before going back to her own bed. 

 

She lies down and covers herself and shuts her eyes but doesn't feel tired at all so she stares at the ceiling and starts fidgeting her thumbs.

 

“Hey Trin…” Kimberly says and she sits up in her bed looking over at Trini. Trini lifts her head slightly so she can look up at Kimberly.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“N-Nothing. It’s not important” she sighs. “Goodnight” Kimberly says as she lies back down, puling her sheets up to her shoulders.

 

“Goodnight Kim.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Trini feels the right side of her bed shift, and theres movement. She opens her eyes and Kimberly is sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her with a look in her eyes that Trini’s never seen on her before. Kimberly fists the sheets under her by her sides, and then she shifts again._

 

_She brings her knees onto the bed and presses her knees into the mattress as she sits on her calves, her gaze never leaving Trini, and Trini shifts a little too, moving up a bit against the headboard, making more room for Kimberly on her bed._

 

_Kimberly doesn't say anything, but she continues looking at Trini and biting her own lip. And suddenly she moves her knee over Trini and she’s straddling Trini’s hips. She presses her hands again the headboard and her face moves closer to Trini’s. Trini feels like she can’t move, doesn't **want** to move, and she feels Kimberly’s warm breath against her lips as she leans closer._

 

_Trini licks her lips as she studies Kimberly’s gaze, her eyes moving down to Kimberly’s lips, and she doesn't even notice how her hands have found comfort, grasping Kimberly’s thighs._

 

_When Kimberly’s lips finally meet her own she can feel herself shudder, and she lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Kimberly’s hands have found their way into Trini’s hair and she's grasping at her locks as she tries to pull herself closer to Trini. Kimberly lets out a moan into Trini’s mouth as Trini’s hands move up her thighs and onto the small of her back, her fingers grasping and pulling her closer and then she’s moving her hands lower and lower to Kimberly’s ass and Kimberly moans again as she starts rocking her hips against her and-_

 

She feels a splash of water hit her body and she jolts up in her bed. She looks around and sees Kimberly standing at the edge of her bead with her eyes wide and she’s holding a large empty plastic bin that she usually keeps some of her supplies in, which she looked like she used to spill water on Trini.

 

“What the hell Kim?!” she yells.

 

“You were on fire!” Kimberly yells back and she still looks a little panicked.

 

Trini looks down at her sheets and as expected her sheets are scorched under her. And right on cue, the fire alarm goes off. The smoke from Kimberly putting out the fire must have gotten to the smoke detectors. She looks at the clock and sees that it’s only a little past 7am and the fact that it’s a Saturday is gonna lead to a few angry students being woken up by a fire alarm. Trini groans as she rests her face in her palms.

 

So they follow the fire alarm procedure and they evacuate the building, standing outside the school in the front yard. The rest of the students look both tired and angry at being woken up this early.

 

Trini sighs and Kimberly notices how awkward she feels so she rests her hand on her shoulder and smiles.

 

“Don’t worry about it. It was an accident” she whispers and Trini smiles back. After about thirty minutes of standing outside, Alpha tells them it’s safe to go back in and most students immediately go back to bed. 

 

Trini and Kimberly go back to their room and get changed because what would be the point in going back to sleep if they have to go to training in an hour. So they go back downstairs for breakfast and start going making their way down to the simulation room. They haven't seen the boys so they're either running late or they're already down there. 

 

Trini can practically _feel_ Kimberly’s gaze locked on her as they stand in the elevator.

 

“So what happened this morning?” Kimberly asks. Trini gulps and avoids looking at Kimberly at all costs as she intently stares at the elevator doors.

 

“Probably a bad dream or something. I c-can’t really remember” she says and she feels her palms sweating and a blush rushing to her cheeks. 

 

“Oh. Okay” Kimberly doesn’t ask any further questions and Trini lets out a sigh of relief as soon as the elevator doors open. 

 

When they get to the control room, the boys are already there with Alpha and Alpha looks at the two of them expectantly when they walk into the room.

 

“So uh girls. Apparently the smoke detector that set off the fire alarm was the one in your bedroom. Care to explain?” and Trini’s eyes immediately widen.

 

“Uhm S-Sorry” Trini stutters. “It was an accident” and Alpha doesn't say anything as he grabs his  clipboard with all his notes on their powers. He flips the papers until he gets to what seems to be Trini’s page, with the most notes on it.

 

“So what activated your powers this time?” Alpha asks.

 

“It was just heightened emotions like usual. I guess I was having a nightmare or something” she says in an attempt to sound calm. Like she didn't just have a dream about her and Kimberly… “I’ll train first today” she says hastily and almost runs out of the room as she makes her way to the locker rooms. 

 

She puts on her (new) suit and walks into the simulation room. Over the past two weeks, Alpha’s hasn't been pushing her too much in training because she wants to get control down before she tries any more intense stuff in training. So as the hologram putties rise from the ground, she doesn't hold back like she usually. Because controlling this is taking too long and she can’t risk what happened today to happen again because if she ever hurts Kimberly she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

 

Her hands are immediately covered in flames and she starts firing blasts of fire at the putties like she always does when she’s training. And she lets the thoughts of what happened this morning and the possibility of hurting Kimberly run through her mind she starts losing control again as she starts getting angrier at herself. She doesn't realize it happening. She doesn't realize that her entire body is covered in flames again. She’s gotten used to the fire now. The heat doesn't feel overwhelming or suffocating anymore, it feels warm and comforting and she lets it grow stronger. 

 

A voice in her head, an unfamiliar voice is telling her to _let_ it get stronger, telling her to burn everything to the ground. It’s a woman's voice and it’s eerie and intruding, and it feels as if it’s taking over her thoughts and controlling her movements, forcing her to let go of her control.

 

Like last time Alpha is telling her to stop, to control her flames like he did the last time she lost control, but the voice is insisting that she doesn't listen so she ignores him and lets the flames grow stronger. The putties all around her have been destroyed and her flames start spreading throughout the room.

 

She hears another voice calling her name this time and it isn't Alpha’s. It sounds like Kimberly. She’s calling her name and pleading with her to stop and Trini hears the fire alarm go off but the drizzling water from the sprinklers isn't enough to put out this fire. The voice in her head is laughing and telling her to keep going, but then she hears Kimberly’s voice again through the speakers. She can't make out what she’s saying but just the sound of her voice is comforting enough so she tries to calm herself. 

 

Before she gets the chance to calm down she hears a loud gust of wind and then something that sounds like a giant vacuum. Before she has the time to think of what it could be she starts feeling light headed and the flames around her start to go out. 

 

Suddenly she feels the air being forced out of her lungs and she can't breathe so she clutches her throat and grasps at it and scratches it as she panics. She feels herself fall to her knees as everything starts going dark and she loses consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Trini feels is a throbbing pain in her head. She opens her eyes and is met with a bright light shining in her face, which does nothing but make throbbing worse, so she covers her eyes with her arm. 

She rubs her temples as she sits up in her bed and when she opens her eyes again she realizes she isn't in her own bed. These sheets are white and they look brand new, while her own sheets are actually grey. She looks around the room and realizes that this isn't even her room. It looks like a medical bay with a few machines placed around that look like they belong in a hospital, and another two beds to her right.

 

“You’re awake” a voice says softly from beside her. She turns around and sees Kimberly sitting on a chair by her bed. “Alpha said you might be out for a few more hours” she says as she gets up and stands in front of a small table next to Trini’s bed. She picks up a glass of water and hands it to Trini who starts drinking it as if she hasn't had water in days. Her mouth still feels dry even after drinking the glass of water and Kimberly picks up a plastic bottle from the table to refill it for her.

 

After a few more glasses of water Trini tries to stand up but the throbbing pain returns and she grasps her head.

 

“You should take it slow. Alpha said you would be a little out of it when you woke up” Kimberly says as she softly pushes Trini to lie down again. She takes her seat back in her chair and they sit there in silence for a few minutes.

 

“Alpha had to turn on the room’s air vacuum to get all the oxygen out so the fire would go out. And it ended up knocking you out to. Sorry you had to go through that” Kimberly frowns but Trini just stays silent.

 

“So you wanna talk about it?” Kimberly asks.

 

“No” Trini says abruptly.

 

“Is this because of last night?” Kimberly reaches forward and rests her hand on Trini’s to comfort her. “I know things got a little awkward when we were playing pool but-”

 

“I don’t wanna talk about it Kim” she says more harshly than she intended to and pulls back her hand from Kim’s.

 

Kimberly frowns and looks away. “Well you’ve been out for hours and Alpha should be checking up on you again soon. We’re having a campfire with the boys tonight at the usual spot if you wanna join” she says as she stands up. “I’ll let you get some rest. Hope you feel better” she says softly as she leaves the room, a frown still on her face, leaving Trini alone. 

Trini just turns on her side on the bed and lets sleep take over again.

 

* * *

 

The next time she wakes up, Alpha is there instead of Kimberly. When she asks, he tells her that Kimberly left two hours ago and then he starts asking her how she feels. She tries brushing him off but he tells her that her brain activity during her training session was a bit off and it could've been tampering from another mutant. He seems to think it over a bit but Trini doesn't care to give it a second thought. It _would_ explain the voice she was hearing, but she doesn't say any of that to Alpha. She just nods and asks if she can leave. He runs a few more tests on her before he finally lets her leave. When she gets to her room, Kimberly isn't there and she picks up her phone to see a few messages from the others. 

There’s a message from Billy telling her he hopes she feels better soon, a message from Jason saying the same thing with a comment on how she can always talk to him about anything if she wants to, a message from Zack with a ‘get well soon’ gif and an offer to join their weekly campfire tonight if she’s feeling better when she wakes up. And then theres about five messages from Kimberly saying sorry and that she hopes she feels better and then another sorry and a reminder about the campfire, and the last one from half an hour ago saying ‘at the cliffs with the guys… We’d love to have you here if you’re feeling better.’

She smiles at the concern from her friends and decides to join them. She changes out of her training suit into one of her own outfits. She gets to their usual campfire spot on the cliffs about fifteen minutes later. She sees the others sitting around the fire, each of them holding a drink and Jason and Billy are laughing at something Zack said and Kimberly’s giving them a half smile as they laugh at Zack’s story. Trini sighs before finally making her way over to them.

 

“Hey there crazy girl” Zack says but it’s a lot softer than the way he usually says it in his usual enthusiastic manner. She smiles at him before taking a seat on a log which is furthest away from the fire but still close enough to her friends.

 

“Wanna drink?” Jason says a little slurred. Trini grins.

 

“Sure” she half-heartedly smiles and Jason almost stumbles when he stands up. He brings her a beer from the cooler, and hands it to her as soon as he opens it with a bottle opener. 

 

She takes a sip and Jason sits back down on the log next to Billy and there’s a bit of a still silence surrounding them. Kimberly is fumbling with her own bottle and she hasn't looked up at Trini ever since she arrived. She deserves that, she figures. The silent treatment. She basically _yelled_ at her earlier and the silent treatment is the least Kim should be doing. Trini expects her to yell or glare at her but Kimberly just stays silent.

 

Zack clears his throat which snaps Trini out of her thoughts and she blushes as she quickly looks away from Kimberly. She was staring again.

 

“How about some music?” Zack says and before anyone can answer he turns on his speaker and starts playing some music through his phone that Trini doesn't recognize. It’s one of those alternative songs and the slow guitar playing at the beginning of the song is actually calming. Zack starts talking again trying to lighten the mood and Billy and Jason are listening intently but Trini can’t seem to focus on what he’s saying because of the music and her own thoughts.

She looks to Kimberly again and she’s still staring at her bottle and fidgeting with it. Suddenly, as if she feels Trini staring at her, she sets her bottle down on the ground and stands up abruptly before leaving the campfire and disappearing into the dark. Trini instinctively stands up and follows her.

 

She finds her sitting on a log by the cliff’s edge staring down at the town in the distance. Trini has to admit, with the lights shining like that and the silence surrounding them, Angel Grove actually looks really peaceful and pleasant to look at. She stops a few feet behind Kimberly and shoves her hands into her pockets before looking to the ground and kicking around a few small rocks, waiting for Kimberly to say something. Kimberly sniffles and quickly wipes at her face before she turns around and give Trini a half-smile.

 

“Hey” she rasps out. It’s clear she was crying. Trini contemplates whether she should stay. Kim obviously came out here to be alone but for some reason she has this urge to want to comfort her.

 

“Hey” Trini says. Kimberly turns around, her back facing Trini again and she hugs her own arms. She’s wearing a tank top but not a jacket and it’s a little cold out tonight, especially now that they’re away from the campfire. Trini takes off her own green bomber jacket and places it on Kimberly’s shoulders. Kimberly looks up at her surprised as she clutches the jacket on her shoulders, wrapping it around herself.

 

“I don’t need it” Trini shrugs. “I don't get cold so easily. You know because of the whole…” she trails off.

 

“Thanks” is all Kimberly says before she turns her attention back to the quiet town in the distance.

 

Trini sighs before she takes a seat on the log next to Kimberly. They stay silent for a few more seconds before Trini finally speaks up.

 

“Look Kim, I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier okay?. I didn't mean it, I just- After everything that happened- during training I was a bit… overwhelmed, I guess.”

 

“Trini it’s fine. It wasn't your fault, I was trying to push you to talk even though I knew that’s not what you wanted. I’m sorry” she says and she’s wiping another tear from her cheek as it trails down.

 

“What’s really wrong Kim?”

 

“Nothing I just- I thought I’d changed, that I was getting better but I haven’t. I keep disappointing everyone close to me and I keep _messing_ everything up, and I _messed_ up everything with us and I really can’t lose you Trin” she says rapidly. “We’ve only known each other for a few weeks but I feel… good around you, like I trust you. And I kept pushing you to talk today and I made things awkward last night and I’m _sorry_. If you don't wanna talk to me ever again just say it and I’ll request a room change and-” she continues rambling.

 

“Whoa Kim stop. Where is this _coming_ from? I’m _not_ mad at you. _I_ should be the one apologizing right now not you.”

 

“Well I guess you don't know me that well if you think I shouldn't be apologizing for anything.”

 

“Kim” Trini says firmly and Kimberly finally looks up at her, and with the moonlight shining on her face, Trini can see that her eyes are bloodshot from crying. “You didn't do _anything_ wrong earlier. I just wasn't in the best place.” Kimberly is still frowning as she pulls her gaze away from Trini again.

 

“And in _what_ world would I not want you to talk to me again Hart? No matter how much of a pain in the ass you can be, I’m always gonna wanna hear your voice” Trini grins and she can see the side of Kimberly’s lips tilt up into a small smile.

 

“I meant what I said” Kimberly starts. “I don’t think I’ve ever really had someone who gets me like you. You’re like, the closest friend I’ve had” she sniffles again and Trini doesn't say anything. She just puts her arm around Kimberly’s shoulder and pulls her close. She then hugs her as she lets Kimberly bury her face in her neck as she clutches the sides of Trini’s shirt.

 

“So are you” Trini whispers against Kimberly’s hair and she pulls her closer. “For _me,_ I mean.”

 

“I know what you meant you dork” she sniffles again but this time she’s smiling, and Trini laughs.

 

When Kimberly eventually loosens her grip on Trini’s shirt they get up and walk back to the campfire. This time when Trini sits on the log furthest from the fire, Kimberly sits down next to her instead of the spot next to the fire that she was in before. She smiles at Trini and shifts a little closer when Trini smiles back.

 

* * *

 

They’re out on the cliffs later than usual that night and that’s probably because they’ve all had a little more to drink than they usually do. They’re all giggling at Billy and Kim’s impersonations of Zordon and Zack is struggling to balance on the log he was previously siting on. 

 

“You guys wanna know something?” Zack slurs a bit, his face a bit more serious now. “I’ve never had friends like all of you before” he takes another sip from his bottle which is almost empty. “Before coming this school it was just me and my mom. I barely went to school so I was a bit of a loner. But I didn't get care. Because I’ve got my mom. And MY MOM IS THE BEST!” he yells and Trini smiles.

 

“But- She’s sick. And sometimes I- I get scared. Too scared to stay there at night because I’m afraid she won’t make it through the night. And I don't know what I would do without her, you know?” he sniffles. “When I got my powers, she was the first one I told. The _only_ person I told. And she was a little freaked out when I told her that I accidentally broke our kitchen sink but she was happy for me. Told me that she’d love me no matter what. Then she found out about this school and her first instinct was to sign me up. Not her health or how she’d be able to stay alone for so long if I went to this school. The only thing she thought about was me being happy. It all worked out though because Zordon had her set up at a hospital nearby. They don't know if there’s much they can do to save her but they’ll monitor her for as long as Zordon’s paying.” 

 

Zack then looks down at his arm which is covered by that shiny metal again and he sighs. “It sucks having these powers sometimes. Being so strong and indestructible but I still can’t protect the one person who matters to me the most.” He looks up to see the others frowning at him and he chuckles a bit before he retracts the metal on his arm and wipes his tears away. “Sorry for ruining the mood with my sob story.” he says.

 

“You didn't ruin the mood,” Jason says. “We get it man, we’re all going through shit and we’re here for you.”

 

“We should do that” Billy says as he stands up and looks to the rest of them. “Talk about ourselves. I mean we’re friends right?” he says before sitting back down on his log.

 

“First of all,” Billy continues, “I love country music” and they all laugh. “And second, well, I lost my dad a few years ago. I didn't really have a lot of friends. Especially not after I got my powers. But my dad understood me and being with him all the time… it was great. And then when he died… I still had my mom and everything but… things changed and I felt alone again. Until I met all of you. I still miss him and everything but… it’s more bearable with you guys in my life. I don't miss him as much.” he frowns as he looks to the ground. “What about the rest of you guys?” he says quickly trying to get his mind off his dad as he looks up and then he focuses on Kimberly. “What about you Kim?”

 

Kimberly fidgets nervously before giving Jason a knowing look and then looking to Trini, who’s staring at her intently from beside her. “Skip me tonight” she says as she looks away again.

 

Zack then looks to Jason “What about you dude?”

 

“Well, where do even I start?” he laughs. “I was pulling a prank the night I got my powers. Me and a couple of friends were gonna leave a cow in the school’s locker rooms. The cops showed up and all that adrenaline and all that excitement and fear I had when I was driving away activated my powers. I didn't even notice that I accidentally cut the steering wheel off with a sharp energy beam until the car was flipping down the street. After that I lost my spot on the football team. And it wasn't because I had some injury from the crash or whatever” he scoffs. 

 

“They said it was a form of _punishment,_ but I’ve seen a bunch of guys on the team do way worse with only a week or two of detention as punishment. I realized that I was kicked off the team because I’m a mutant. And my dad- he just doesn't get it. He wants me to get back into football even though that’s not even what I want anymore. He has all these expectations and he thinks that the only way I’ll be successful or happy is if I become what he wants me to be even though that’s not who I am.” He looks up and laughs nervously. “So who’s next?”

 

Zack then looks to Trini. “What about _you_ crazy girl? Anything you’d like to share?”

 

“I can tell you anything and you’d have no choice but to believe me” she jokes and Zack gives her a knowing look. She looks around at the others before sighing as they stare at her expectantly.

 

“My thing- I’m always the new girl. My parents have been moving us around the country for as long as I can remember. I don't have to get to know anybody because every time I do, we just end up moving again. Sometimes I get a little close with people but never fully. Never any serious relationships that my parents have to worry about.”

 

“A lot of boyfriend troubles back home then?” Zack asks and Trini scoffs.

 

“Yeah, _boyfriend_ trouble” she says and Zack looks at her curiously.

 

“Girlfriend troubles?” he asks and Trini stays silent for a moment, refusing to look at any of them.

 

“I got my powers right before I came to this school. I was _with_ someone when my mom found and all that kind of activated my powers. I hurt the girl I was with that day” she sighs. “My parents got all worried because I suddenly became _everything_ they were worried about. They always had something to say about the way I dressed or the people I’d hang out with and that day… It all just came crashing down when my mom saw me with that girl and when she realized that I was a mutant. I didn't fit into their image of a _normal_ family so the only thing they could think of doing was shipping me off here. They think they have my best intentions in mind but they don't really get it. They don't get _me._ No one ever has” she takes another sip of her beer. “And I’ve never even said any of this out loud before.”

 

“ _We_ get you Trini. You’re with _us_ now.” Billy says.

 

“Am I?” she hesitates. “There’s so much about myself that I still don't understand and these powers just make it all worse. I could hurt you guys at anytime and I might not even notice. Look at what happened at training today. I let my thoughts run wild and I got unfair and lost control. Just because none of you said anything about it doesn't mean it didn't happen. I know you’re all afraid of me. So why even bother?”

 

“Because you’re our friend” Kimberly says breaking her own long silence. “Because we _do_ get you and we care about you. And we’re gonna help you get through all this because we always help each other. We’ll do it together.” They all nod as Kimberly finishes her short inspiring speech and silence takes over again, the fun mood from moments ago fading, so they start cleaning up all the bottles around their campfire spot and making their ways back to their rooms.

 

* * *

 

When Trini gets back to her room with Kim in tow, she realizes that they haven't said anything to each other the entire walk back. She changes out of her clothes into her sweatpants and the tank top that she sleeps in and waits for Kim to finish changing before saying anything.

 

“So uhm- What I said at the campfire- About the whole liking girls thing-” Kimberly turns her attention to Trini at that but her expression seems neutral instead of the nervous or anxious expression Trini was expecting. “I hope that doesn't make things awkward between us. Because I don't just have a crush on every girl I’m friends with or whatever-”

 

“Trini” Kimberly laughs. “I’ve never and _would_ never think that way.”

 

“It doesn’t make you uncomfortable?”

 

“Why would it?”

 

“Because- Well-” Kimberly just gives her a warm smile. “Okay then” is all Trini can think of saying before they grow silent again.

 

“Trini listen I-” she sighs. “I don't want you to think that I wasn't in a sharing mood today because of you or anything. It’s not that I don’t trust you, because I _do_. I _really_ do. I just- I’ve done some bad things and I didn't want you to see that side of me.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“The boys don't even know the whole story either. Well Jason does, and Billy and Zack know parts of it but- I think I wanna share it with you too.” Trini just nods and shifts on the edge of her bed. Kimberly starts pacing in front of her and gripping at the bottom of her own shirt as she prepares herself.

 

“Okay so, back when I was at Angel Grove High, I was a cheerleader. Just a normal, queen-bee, bitchy cheerleader,” she laughs nervously. “And I was popular, and I was dating a football player, and I had a lot of friends- You know, typical high school shit. So before I got my powers I thought I was happy. And then one day-” she scoffs. “My friend Amanda sent me a picture of herself. A _private_ picture. For a while I hadn't even given it a second thought but then I found out she was sleeping my then-boyfriend Ty. And I got _so_ angry and I felt like I needed to lash out at everyone. So I sent Ty the photo asking ‘Is this really the kind of girl you wanna bring home to your parents?’ he called me the meanest person he’d ever met. And he was right. Then I punched him and his tooth fell out. And then- I got my powers.”

 

Trini stares at Kimberly curiously as she sits down next to Trini on her bed and pushes back the hair that was covering her ear, revealing a small device adjusted jut behind her right ear. 

 

“I don’t just have telekinesis. I’ve got some kind of telepathy powers and I can’t really control them, so Alpha made me this device which kind of keeps them dialed down and kinda turns them off. Temporarily. So when I got my powers that day, I accidentally mind-melded with everyone around me. It was like I was _invading_ their minds. And they were all in so much pain, so I- I ran. And then I became the ex-bitchy cheerleader who was also a mutant, so I think you can figure out how things ended up fro my reputation at that school.”

 

“Oh” is all Trini can think of saying. Kimberly frowns at her.

 

“I know. I’m a horrible person” she says as she stands up. Trini grabs her wrist before she can leave.

 

“No, Kim wait. I just- need a minute to process all this” she sighs. “What did Jason say?”

 

“He gave me a long speech on moving on and telling me I did a bad thing but that doesn't make me a bad person.”

 

“Well he’s right. The only thing you can do now is make up for what you’ve done.”

 

“I know I just- I can’t help but feel like I’m still that same person who’s just gonna mess up again” she sighs. “I’m sorry for not telling you all this earlier. You probably hate me” Kimberly says as she wipes the tears off her cheeks.

 

“I don’t hate you Kim” Trini says sternly. “I don't think I could ever hate you.” And then Kimberly is hugging her again. That makes it twice in one night. She smiles as she hugs the other girl back and Kimberly pauses when she pulls back. Just like when they were playing pool the other day, Kimberly is unusually close and Trini can’t help but stare back into her eyes. Kimberly’s eyes seem to look down at Trini’s lips again and she’s breathing a bit heavily but she blinks and pulls back.

 

She rushes back to her bed and turns off the lamp on the table next to her. Trini is eventually able to fall asleep after that, for what feels like hours.

 

* * *

 

Things seem to be normal again with the five of them for the next few days. They go to class, they eat together, they hang out, do homework together, and repeat, every day. No awkwardness lingers from their confessions to each other. Now they know each other even better so Trini feels even closer to them.

But Trini’s awkwardness in regards to Kimberly is a _whole_ different story. Because Kimberly doesn't actually seem to feel awkward around Trini at all. Even after Trini’s revelation at the campfire. Any other girl probably would've demanded to have a roommate change or something. But Kimberly is totally fine with it because she hugs Trini as much as she used to, still let’s her hand linger on Trini’s shoulder, still holds her hand and all that ‘best friend stuff’ as if nothing ever changed between them. And Trini honestly doesn't know how she should be handling this.

 

She’s snapped out of her thoughts when a pen hits her in the head and she remembers that she’s in Biology class. She rubs the side of her head that the pen hit and looks up to see Kimberly snickering in her seat right next to her. Trini grins because Kimberly does this _every_ time Trini zones out because according to Kimberly, Trini doesn't need to zone out in class when Kimberly is right there for her to stare at. She winked at her after she said that and Trini’s only response was ‘cool’ and an awkward cough because honestly, how else could she have responded? Kim just keeps teasing her and she’s still as confused as ever.

She feels another pen hit her in the head and it’s obvious Kimberly wants attention now. She quickly looks back to the front of the class when Trini looks at her again, as if she wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, and Trini can’t help but laugh at her antics. Their professor stops talking and looks back at the two of them hesitantly before turning back to the board.

One of the pens on her desk that Kimberly tossed at her head starts levitating and Trini catches it before Kimberly can toss it at her head again. She looks up at Kimberly who’s smiling at her again. 

 

“You know you’re not getting these pens back, right?” Trini whispers, and she’s grinning but her gaze is focused on the professor and the whiteboard ahead of her. She starts twirling Kim’s pink pen between her fingers.

 

“Oh really?” Kimberly grins deviously. “Not even if I asked you _nicely_?” 

 

“You’ve hit me in the head enough times for ‘ask  _nicely_ ’ not to work” Kimberly grins again. Their desks are pressed together but there’s a bit of a gap between their seats, so Kimberly scoots her chair as close to Trini’s as she can and places her hand on top of Trini’s. The one she was twirling Kim’s pen in. She stops fidgeting with it as soon as Kimberly’s hand makes contact with her own and she freezes and grips the pen tightly.

 

Kimberly’s fingers softly trail down her wrist to the knuckles of Trini’s closed fist. She runs her fingers over her knuckles softly until Trini’s fist relaxes and she uses the opportunity to intertwine her fingers with Trini’s. She gets Trini to drop the pen on the desk and turn her hand around, allowing Kimberly to trace her fingers on her palm. And then she starts tracing her fingers up Trini’s wrist and her forearm and she’s doing it so gently and so softly that Trini almost zones out again. She feels Kimberly shift and sees her grab the pen that Trini had dropped moments ago.

 

“Not fair” Trini glares.

 

“ _Totally_ fair”

 

“Next time I’m just gonna melt your pen”

 

“Oh you wouldn't do that. You like me too much/You _love_ me too much” And Trini doesn't get a chance to answer before the bell rings and everyone starts rushing out of class.

 

“You’re done for today right? With classes?” Kimberly asks as they walk down the hallway side by side.

 

“Yeah. Why?”

 

“Come on” she replies as she grabs Trini’s jacket sleeve and pulls her down the hallway and outside the front door.

 

“Uhm, where are we going?” Trini asks as she follows Kimberly out to the cliffs. But they aren't going to their usual spot.

 

“You’ll see” Kimberly says excitedly as she leads Trini into the forest.

 

“You’re not gonna murder me right?” 

 

“No” Kimberly laughs. “It’s just a surprise.” They walk for a few more minutes until Kimberly stops abruptly and Trini almost walks into her. “We’re here!” She says excitedly.

 

Trini walks forward to see exactly what ‘here’ is and realizes they’re on a cliff. There’s a small lake at the bottom of the cliff with a smaller isolated pool next to it.

 

“Hot spring” Kimberly clarifies. “I was out walking here once and I accidentally found this place. I usually come here alone to clear my mind and stuff.”

 

“This place is pretty cool Kim.”

 

“Yeah. You’re actually the first person who I’ve showed this place to.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yup! Now come on, let’s go in” and then she starts taking her shirt off and Trini looks away, blushing.

 

“Uhm I don’t have a bathing suit on or anything.”

 

“Neither do I. Just swim in your underwear” Trini gulps. When she looks back to Kim, she’s in her bra and her underwear and she jumps off the cliff. She hears the water splash as Kimberly falls in and rushes to the cliffside to see if she’s okay. Kimberly surfaces seconds later and she’s looking up at Trini and laughing. “Come on! The water is amazing!”

 

Trini sighs before she strips down to her own bra and underwear and she hesitantly takes the jump. When she surfaces in the water, Kimberly swims up to her and splashes some water at her laughing. 

 

“Nice, right?” Kimberly asks.

 

“Yeah” Trini laughs. “Do we even have towels for when we get out or are just gonna freeze?”

 

“No towels. This was like a spur of the moment thing so I didn't prepare for any of this” Kimberly laughs again.

 

“That seems to happen a lot with you.” 

 

“What can I say? I’m spontaneous.”

 

“ _That_ you are.”

 

“Oh and we won’t need any towels” Kimberly says and Trini looks at her curiously. “You don't get cold. Remember? You’ll be fine.”

 

“What about _you_?” Trini asks as Kimberly starts swimming out and she follows.

 

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to warm me up” she says and Trini almost chokes. “See that little rock pool? That’s the actual hot spring. The water is so much warmer, it’s like- nature’s hot tub.” she jokes.

 

Trini doesn't reply but she follows Kimberly into the smaller rock pool and the comforting heat of the water hits her instantly. She easily settles into the water and sits down, but Kimberly takes a few seconds to fully get into the warm water since she’s more vulnerable to heat than Trini. She eventually sits down across from Trini and they let the comforting silence take over for a while. Trini closes her eyes as she rests her head back against a rock on the edge of the pool.

 

“So does this feel hot to you at all?” Kimberly asks and Trini gives her a stunned look. “The water, I mean” she continues. “Do you even feel it?”

 

“It feels a _little_ warm I guess.”

 

“A _little_?” Kimberly chuckles. “Of course. It feels like the water is _boiling_ to me.” she says as she starts moving over to Trini. She sits next to her, resting her head back against the pool’s edge like Trini. “What else is different for you? Now that you have your powers.”

 

“Not too many things. It’s taking some getting used to. First things started feeling too hot, and now… Nothing ever feels as warm as it used to. Soup, tea, coffee, all that stuff. It feels different.” Kimberly frowns. “But I’m getting used to it” Trini quickly adds, trying to ease the other girl’s thoughts on the matter.

 

“I know but- Don’t you ever wish things could go back to how they were? Before all this” she says as she looks down at her own hands in the water.

 

“All the time” Trini says and Kimberly looks a little surprised at her answer. “That’s the case with so many things. Change is hard but it’s something you get used to. And then living any other way just seems crazy.” Trini notices how Kimberly subconsciously touches the device behind her ear. Kimberly sees her staring and sighs.

 

“Alpha told me that I should probably be taking the device off any day now. And practicing on controlling this power. But I’m scared. I saw how dangerous it can be to everyone around me and I don't want to risk it.”

 

“Kim, you’re gonna have to learn to control it eventually. You can’t just ignore a part of yourself and just hope you won’t have to face it. Trust me, I know what that’s like.” she laughs nervously and Kimberly gives her a sympathetic look. “You can’t just ignore who you are or how you feel.”

 

“You’re right. We need to be honest about ourselves. And about- how we feel” Kimberly sighs again and looks at Trini, both of them now staring at each other intently. Kimberly breathes in deeply before she shifts again, moving closer to Trini. “Trini I- I want to-”

 

“Hey girls! Where _are_ you exactly?” Zack’s voice comes from the top of the cliff. Kimberly immediately pulls away, obviously very flustered about whatever she was gonna say. 

 

Kimberly bites her own lip and looks away, moving further from Trini.

 

“Down here” Kimberly calls out and she avoids making eye contact with Trini.  She hears Zack whooping when he jumps off the cliff into the  lake with Jason and Billy right behind him. “I texted them that we’d be out here. Didn't think they’d show up but- oh well I guess” Kimberly tells her before the boys swim out of the lake and jump into the hot spring with them.

 

“Having fun?” Zack knowingly wiggles his eyebrows at Trini and she splashes some water at him.

 

“We brought towels. I knew Kim probably didn't bring any so…” Jason says.

 

“You know me so well” Kimberly chuckles.

 

“I need to go cool off. It’s getting too hot in here” Trini says, and she climbs out of the pool before anyone can respond and makes her way into the lake.

 

She swims further in and floats there for a while before she hears someone swim up to her and when she opens her eyes she sees Zack giving her a knowing look. He’s at the center of a small donut ring float which he probably jumped in with earlier.

 

“What’s up crazy girl?”

 

“Nothing”

 

“Oh really? Because you can’t use the ‘it’s too hot in here’ excuse anymore. We all know you don't feel heat like that anymore” he smiles and shifts so he’s now sitting on the donut ring float. “What’s wrong Trin?”

 

“Nothing’s wrong.”

 

“Ok I know something’s wrong but it’s fine if you don’t wanna talk about it.” Trini just looks at him again and smiles deviously. She moves closer to the float and tips Zack off of it before swimming between the ring and resting her arms over one side, while still being in the water, like Zack was earlier. “And now you’re just playing dirty” he laughs.

 

They sit in silence for a few more minutes. Trini can hear Kimberly laughing with Billy and Jason and Zack notices her frown so he gives her a knowing look again and she sighs.

 

“What?” she snaps.

 

“You sure you don't want talk about it?” he asks and she just stays silent. “Is it about Kim?”

 

“How’d you know?” she sighs.

 

“It’s kinda obvious. Well, to me anyway. You like her don’t you?”

 

“I don’t- I… Yeah I do.”

 

“And you don’t wanna talk about it because…”

 

“Because I know she doesn’t like me back. Besides, she seems so close with Jason” and Zack just laughs at that.

 

“Kim and Jason? Really Trin? There’s nothing going on there, I can guarantee that.”

 

“But they’ve known each other for so long.”

 

“So?”

 

“So they know each other so well and-”

 

“Trini, don’t worry, there’s nothing going on there. Jason’s got his mind set on someone else anyway.”

 

“What? Who?” and Zack nods his head towards the three of them. So if it isn’t Kim that Jason’s interested in that must mean- “Oh.” she realizes. “I knew he and Billy were close but I never knew-”

 

“Yup”

 

“Ok but how do I know Kim’s not into in Jason?”

 

“Because she knows how whipped he is for Billy. And because she simply doesn’t like him like that. Not hard to understand Trin. I think you’re just in denial.”

 

“ _Denial?_ About what? Why would I be-”

 

“Because you’re scared that you might get rejected or something like that so you keep making excuses to not try at all” he grins.

 

“I’m not making-”

 

“Uhm, yeah you are. I personally think she’s totally into you.”

 

“Yeah right.”

 

“For real. I usually have a good sense of this stuff too. And you know what? I’m gonna be your wingman.”

 

“I don’t need a wingman Zack.”

 

“Oh please. If you didn’t need a wingman, you’d be dating her already.” Trini blushes at that. “Okay fine. I won’t intervene or anything, but if you any need me to hype you up, let me know.” he chuckles.

 

“Yeah fine, whatever” she smiles. Zack then seems to be contemplating something before he gives her a mischievous smile and starts swimming out. “Where are you going?”

 

“I’ll be right back. Stay right there” he says. Trini rolls her eyes and sits up on the float, resting her head back and closing her eyes.

 

A few minutes later she hears someone swim up to her again. 

 

“Took you long enough” she teases.

 

“Oh really?” and Trini almost tips over the float herself when she realizes that that wasn’t Zack’s voice. “So you’ve been waiting for me?” Kimberly says smugly.

 

“I thought you were Zack” Trini says as she steadies herself on the float again.

 

“He told me to come out here and check out his sick donut float. He said he’d be back eventually” Kimberly says as she swims over to Trini and leans onto the float, tipping the balance a bit. And I gotta say, I’m very pleased with this donut” she jokes. Trini slides off of it and pushes it towards Kimberly.

 

“All yours” she says. Kimberly smiles before moving inside the ring and leaning over the edge so she’s facing Trini.

 

“You okay?” Kimberly asks.

 

“All good” she hesitates. “Are you?” Kimberly looks a little stunned at that.

 

“Yeah. All good.”

 

“Good” Trini smiles. Kimberly looks up at her and smiles before pushing a strand of hair out of her face behind her ear.

 

“So we talked about you and warm water. What about cooler water like this?”

 

“I don’t get too cold anymore. Only when it’s _really_ cold. But even then it depends on how much I heat myself up.” 

 

“I’ll know who to snuggle with when it gets cold then” she grins.

 

“Yeah” Trini snickers.

 

“Wanna see something cool?” Trini nods and Kimberly just raises her hand right above the water and focuses on it. A few drops of water start floating in the air for a few seconds but immediately fall back in and Kimberly’s panting. “You can only get a few seconds of cool” she jokes.

 

“That _was_ pretty cool.” Trini smiles. “So you can control water?”

 

“No but if I _really_ focus with my telekinesis I can lift or push almost anything. Still need to practice before I become a pro though.”

 

“You’ll get there. We all will” Trini smiles softly.

 

“Hey girls!” Zack yells waving at them from shore. “We’re gonna head out. You coming with?” 

 

The two girls looking at each other and shrug before swimming out to shore. They all walk up the path back to the top of the cliff to wraps themselves in towels and grab their clothes before walking back to school.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your awesome comments. I may not reply but I really appreciate the commentary from you all.

Her forehead starts feeling a bit cold. Then Trini realizes the feeling of dripping water and she abruptly wakes up in the middle of the night jolting up in her bed. She sits up and looks around, seeing a woman standing near her bed, hidden in the shadows. Water seems to be levitating and flowing between her fingers.

 

“How do you feel about water?” she asks in an eerie voice that Trini swears she’s heard before. “Does it irritate you? Does it weaken you or your abilities? Or does it not actually have any effect?” the woman says as she taps her chin with her finger as if she’s thinking it over. 

 

Before Trini can say anything the woman is stepping forward out of the shadows and Trini has _definitely_ seen her before. It’s the woman who they saw on the news. The one who escaped that advanced mutant prison. Rita.

 

Suddenly Rita lunges forward and grabs Trini by the throat and there’s a puff of a smog-like smoke surrounding them before everything goes dark for a second. When she blinks again she notices that they’re no longer in her bedroom, but outside by the cliffs with no one else around her besides Rita. Teleportation, Trini remembers. Rita pushes her up against a cliff wall, her nails digging into Trini’s throat and Trini gasps for air.

 

“It’s Deedee right?” Rita asks with a smirk on her face, and her grip on Trini tightens. “I’m glad we could finally meet in person. This probably feels familiar to you doesn’t it? You see, I was that little voice you were hearing in your head a few weeks ago. You remember don’t you? How I just poked around in there, helping you reach your _full_ potential" she snarls.

"But now I get to see your pretty little face in person” she says as she taps Trini’s nose with her finger before running a finger down her cheek. Trini can feel her energy being drawn out by Rita’s grip and she’s already feeling weaker. She remembers how Alpha told them about her energy and power absorbing abilities. That if she held on for too long she could kill Trini and permanently keep her powers.

“The thing is, _Deedee_ , I’m still contemplating on whether I should kill you right now or not. On the one hand, I kill you, keep your fire abilities, have some fun with that… But on the _other_ , I already  _can_  control fire, even though it’s not to the extent as you can, and you could make a worthy ally in my army.”

Trini scoffs as she continues struggling in Rita’s grip. “What makes you think I would ever join _you_?”

 

“Why not? I’ve been watching you. Well I’ve been watching all five of you to be precise, but _you_ seem to have a lot of potential Deedee.” Trini glares at the woman. “I’m not some cartoon villain who has no mission besides causing chaos like Zordon makes me out to be. I _have_ a goal. And that goal is for mutants to be free and live in peace. Unfortunately that could never happen with these  _humans_ around.”

 

“They’re not all like that-” Trini tries to argue.

 

“Oh really? Ever since you found out you were a mutant, how many positive experiences have you had with any of them? Your own parents… And it’s not just the humans. It’s other mutants as well. The same mutants who just want to live in peace with humans as if we're just like them. But we're not. We're far more superior. And the truth is, they’re all afraid of you because they don't understand you. They could never even comprehend the sheer power you have. All they do is look down on you as if you’re some kind of wild dog that needs to be put down before you hurt someone.”

 

Trini doesn't respond to Rita’s accusations. There’s a part of her that wants accept that Rita’s right because that would just make everything so much easier. But she knows it’s not true. Because she’s met people like Kimberly, Jason, Zack and Billy that understand her and accept her for who she is. So who’s to say there aren't others out there like that?

 

Rita sees the hesitation on Trini’s face and groans in frustration before dropping her to the ground. 

 

“If you change your mind, I will be at the old boatyard in twenty days for- Well you should just show up if you want to know the surprise” she grins. “Until _then_ , Deedee my friend” she says before a puff of that same smog-like smoke from earlier appears where Rita once stood and she’s gone.

 

Trini falls to her hands and knees, gasping for air again. She can feel the bruises and the cuts forming on her neck and on her face already, as well as the blood running down the side of her neck from Rita’s deep scratches. She takes a few minutes to pull herself together before she starts running back to the school. She stumbles a few times, still feeling weak from Rita’s attack but she manages to make her way through the front door before she collapses on her knees again breathing heavily. 

 

Everything seems out of focus and she feels _really_ cold. She’s never felt this cold ever since she got her powers. She suddenly feels someone pull her off the floor by her shoulders and she’s shivering. She doesn't look up but she feels those same hands holding her up and then she hears voices and it all feels so loud and disorienting. 

 

Suddenly she feels a blanket covering her shoulders and she’s being lead somewhere before she’s softly pushed back on a couch and all she can hear is distorted voices. When she finally looks up, everything seems much clearer and she sees Kimberly standing in front of her, her hand still on Trini’s shoulder with a worried look on her face. Zack and Billy are standing behind her with equally worried looks on their faces.

 

“There’s a fire place in Zordon’s old office” Kim says hastily and she helps Trini up again before leading her to Zordon’s old office from when he actually had a body.

It looks like a storage room with all the furniture covered with sheets and the large empty desk at the middle of the room. The fireplace is on their left. Kimberly sits Trini down in front of it and runs her hands up and down Trini’s arms trying to warm her up as Zack tries to start a fire.

 

Trini sees Jason walk into the room moments later, from the corner of her eye. He looks angry and his fists are clenched at his sides as he sits down on one of the sheet-covered couches, not even bothering to remove the sheet.

 

“What’d he say?” Zack asks him, taking in the other boy’s anger.

 

“Nothing helpful” he sighs. “I’ll explain later. How is she?” he asks tilting his head up, motioning at Trini.

 

“I’m f-fine” Trini says sternly, even though she’s still shivering. She feels Kimberly sit down next to her and she wraps her arm around Trini’s shoulders, trying to get her warmer and Trini inadvertently moves closer to her, seeking out Kimberly’s warmth.

 

“She absorbed your powers didn't she?” Billy asks.

 

“T-Temporarily” Trini says through gritted teeth. “I’ll be back to myself in n-no time.”

 

“I think you should just take it easy for a while Trin. Your powers are part of you and it’s obvious that losing them, even if it’s temporary, has an effect on your body” Jason says.

 

“H-How’d you guys even know about Rita?” she asks.

 

“Kim woke up and saw that you weren't there” Billy says. “She got worried, looked around, woke us up when she couldn't find you, we all looked for you, and then we ran into Alpha who told us that the security system picked up Rita in the area.” Kimberly’s arm is now around her waist pulling her closer. “It took him a while to realize what happened and by the time he did, we figured she had you.” Trini feels Kimberly’s grip on her waist tighten at that.

 

“What’d she say to you?” Zack asks.

 

“She wanted me to join her. She said humans would never accept us and all that crap. Hell, most _mutants_ don't even accept us” the others seem to have uneasy looks on their faces when it seems like Trini could even be _considering_ joining Rita. “But yeah she’s insane and she basically just threw me around and threatened me” she says quickly, trying to settle their concerns. “She was also the one messing with my head during training” Trini sighs.

 

“Do you know where she went?” Jason asks.

 

“She told me to meet her at the old boatyard in twenty days if I changed my mind. It seemed like she was implying she has something planned that day” Trini scoffs as she feels the sting on the side of her neck. “Didn’t Alpha say she wouldn't come here? What does she even want besides messing with us?”

 

“I think I know” Jason says and they all turn their attention to him. “Zordon said she might try to recruit students from the school to join her army.”

 

“What? Why didn't he tell us?!” Kimberly says angrily. “She could've killed Trini and we wouldn't have even known.” Trini feels an odd comforting sensation at Kimberly’s concern. 

 

“He thought she wouldn't come here because, besides the five of us, no other student at this school would be ‘ _worthy’_ enough for her army. And he’s convinced that the five of us are dedicated enough to _his_ army to not betray him.” Jason continues.

 

“Wait, what do you mean ‘ _his_ army?’ Is that why we have those private training lessons every week? Because he wants to make us his expendable soldiers!?” Kimberly yells.

 

“Ay yi yi…” they turn around to see Alpha standing in the doorway with a med-kit in his hand. “Okay let’s just all calm down-”

 

“Calm down? Did you _know_ about this?” Zack asks as he walks towards Alpha angrily. Alpha looks around to the five of them.

 

“I knew Zordon had- _other_ plans for the five of you, but my job was to help you control your powers and train. Nothing further.” Alpha says and Zack stares at him incredulously.

 

“I can’t believe this” Zack scoffs.

 

“Why didn't Zordon tell us any of this?” Kimberly asks.

 

“He was trying to get you all to join him by your own volition. He didn't want to force you into anything-”

 

“It’s obvious that’s he’s _already_ forced into all this! Rita’s already coming after us!” Jason yells, motioning at Trini, who like Billy, is staying silent throughout most of this discussion. Kimberly gives her a sympathetic look before she walks up to Alpha and takes the med-kit, leaving Jason and Zack to argue with Alpha.

 

She sits down next to Trini again and grabs a wipe to clean at her wounds. “It won’t need stitches” Kimberly says as she winces looking at the claw-like scratches on the side of her neck. “But it’s definitely gonna scar.” Trini just shrugs and turns her head, giving Kimberly better access to her neck. “So what is this, like the second time I’d had to patch you up in the past few weeks?” she laughs slightly, obviously trying to lighten the mood, but Trini just gives her a half smile and shrugs again.

 

“Hey” Kimberly says softly as she reaches for Trini’s chin and turns her head towards her. “You okay?”

 

“Not really” she whimpers as she turns her head again.

 

“Don’t wanna talk about it?” Kimberly asks cautiously, trying not to pry. Trini just stays silent as Kimberly patches her up. Kimberly notices a tear rolling down Trini’s face but she says nothing as she cups her cheek, wiping away the single tear with her thumb and Trini looks up at her, surprised and looking as if she’s about to let go and start crying. But she holds it back because she doesn't want anyone besides Kim to know how she’s feeling right now. And then Kimberly hugs her. She holds her close to her chest and rubs circles on her back.

 

Neither of them notice that Alpha has left the room. Jason takes his seat back in the chair he was in earlier and runs a hand through his hair sighing.

 

“What do we do Jace?” Kimberly asks as she gently pulls back from Trini and turns around, but still grips Trini’s hand tightly.

 

“Well we’re _not_ taking any orders from Zordon. He just wants us to stay put and hope Rita doesn't come back. _He_ wants to be the one to handle her if she does come back.”

 

“He’s a giant floating head!” Kimberly exclaims. “What’s _he_ gonna do?!” 

 

“I don’t know but he’s convinced that he’s the only one that can take her and he wants us to stay out of it” Jason trails off. “Even though he already dragged us into this mess” he mutters under his breath. “The point is, Rita is out there right now and she’s a threat to anyone who isn't on her side, including us. I personally don't want to stand by and watch her destroy this whole town and kill everyone in her path.”

 

“So what’re you saying?” Trini rasps out.

 

“I’m saying we could go after her and end all this. We don't need Zordon.”

 

“Jason, we can’t even fully control our powers yet” Kimberly adds.

 

“We have twenty days before Rita’s attack- or whatever she’s planning. We can catch her by surprise. She’s probably staying at the boatyard before that too, so we surprise attack her when we're ready” Jason continues.

 

They all look at each other and at Jason hesitantly.

 

“Listen” Jason says. “If you don't wanna join in, that’s fine, but i’m doing this. It’s about time someone did something about it” he raises his hand, “Show of hands, if you’re in.” Trini smiles before raising her own hand, followed by Kim, Zack and then Billy. “We do this together then” Jason says.

 

 

—————————————————————

 

Trying to fall back asleep that night proves to be difficult for Trini. Every time she closes her eyes, she feels as if Rita is standing there, next to her bed staring at her and getting ready to attack her again. She tries to convince herself that Rita won’t be returning anytime soon because she’s said what she’s wanted to say and now she’s probably waiting for Trini to just give in and join her.

 

So she tosses and turns for what feels like hours and she still can’t get Rita’s attack out of her head. Not to mention the fact that her powers are still drained so she feels like she’s _freezing_ even as she pulls up her blanket and her sheets higher up to her chin, so that just makes it even harder to sleep. She eventually gives up on trying to fall asleep so she picks up her phone from the nightstand next to her bed. And it’s dead. The battery was low and she probably forgot to plug it in earlier.

 

So she gets up and starts looking for it as quietly as possible, trying not to wake up Kim. But she realizes she failed when she hears Kimberly shift and whisper her name as she sits up in her bed rubbing her eyes.

 

“What time is it?” she yawns. Trini looks back to her phone remembering it’s not on.

 

“I don’t know, my phone died. It’s late though, you should get back to sleep” Trini says as she sits back on her bed, pulling her blanket over herself again as she lens back against the headboard.

 

“Why are you up?”

 

“No reason” she shivers and pulls the blanket up to her chin again.

 

“You’re still cold? Are you okay?” Kimberly asks as she pushes her own sheets off and makes her way to Trini worriedly.

 

“I’m fine. I’m just having a hard time sleeping.”

 

“Because of Rita” Kim says. Trini nods and tightens the blanket around herself. “Here” Kim says as she sits next to Trini on her bed and starts running her hands up and down her arms like she did earlier, to warm her up. “Is that helping at all?”

 

“A little.”

 

“Lie back down” Kimberly says and Trini stares at her, a bewildered look on her face and the shock settles in because she has no idea where Kimberly is going with this. “I’ll lay down next to you. You need to stay warm” Kimberly explains.

 

“Next to- I- uhm- what-?” Trini sputters. This is what friends do right? She’s just being a good friend. Right?

 

“Don’t worry Trin. I don't bite” Kimberly chuckles. “Besides, you need to stay warm and you _really_ need to get some sleep” she says and Trini just gulps nervously as she lies back down on her side, resting her head on her pillow. Kimberly grabs her own pillow from her own bed and sets it next to Trini’s. It’s a small bed so there’s isn't too much space for the both of them. Trini covers herself but Kimberly stays on top of the sheets - remembering how Trini likes to avoid having her skin touched for too long because of her powers - as she puts her arm around Trini’s waist, still over this sheets. “Is this- Is this okay? I mean- is it keeping you warm enoughh?”

 

“Yeah” she shifts, trying to get more comfortable. “It’s fine” she gulps. 

 

They stay like that in silence for a while. Trini can feel Kimberly breathing a bit heavily behind her and Trini is trying to keep her own breathing under control, as if her heart isn’t actually racing. They both shift a few times, trying to get more comfortable while also trying to make it seem like neither of them is nervous in this moment.

 

Kimberly eventually falls back asleep a few minutes later, but her warm breath on Trini’s neck is just… distracting. 

 

Trini pulls the sheets higher again, attempting to cover her exposed neck. Just as she feels like she can finally fall asleep, Kimberly shifts closer, her arm gripping Trini a bit tighter than before, pulling her closer, and Trini just holds her breath, feeling as if any slight movement would wake Kimberly up, and she doesn't know how she’d be able to deal with Kimberly becoming aware of what she’s actually doing right now.

 

“Fuck” she mutters under her breath and after a while she eventually drifts back to sleep. 

 

—————————————————————

 

“Guys! Wake up!” Trini almost jumps out of bed at Zack pounding at the door and yelling.

 

“What the fuck Zack?” Trini groans and rubs her eyes as she attempts to sit up in bed. She feels a hand on her waist which holds her down and she looks to her right to see Kimberly still asleep next her. She blushes as she carefully guides Kim’s hand off her waist and onto the bed. But as soon as she does, Kimberly’s arm moves back to the spot around her waist and Kimberly pulls her closer with a slight sleepy smile on her face.

 

“Mhhmm don’t go, you’re nice and warm” she mumbles, her eyes still closed and that smile still on her face. Trini’s eyes widen and she genuinely doesn’t know how to respond.

 

“Guys come on! You’re late for training!” Zack yells as he knocks on the door again. Trini groans as she remembers both she and Kim forgot to set an alarm the night before.

 

“K-Kim we have to go” Trini mutters.

 

“Fine” Kimberly sighs as she loosens her hold on Trini and rolls out of bed. “Good to see your powers are back” Trini looks at her confused. “You feel warm again. And you’re not shivering anymore.” Trini rubs her hands together feeling that familiar heat on her skin.

 

“Oh, yeah.”

 

“See? Sleeping in the same bed as me just does wonders, doesn’t it?” she jokes.

 

“Yeah definitely” Trini laughs nervously as she starts rummaging through her drawers to change into.

 

—————————————————————

 

Alpha looks kind of shocked when he sees the five of them enter the control room all dressed in their training suits and ready. 

 

“You’re here” he says a bit questioningly.

 

“Well agree or disagree with Zordon, we still gotta train” Jason sighs.

 

“Sounds good” Alpha says as he starts typing a few things on the control panel keyboard. He looks at his notes one more time before turning to the five students. “Okay we’re gonna do a group training session today” he says and Trini tenses.

 

Kimberly notices and grabs her hand and gives her a comforting smile. ‘It’s okay’ she mouths. Trini nods but still feels a bit unnerved.

 

“All of us?” she asks Alpha. “A-Are you sure?”

 

Alpha smiles at her. “Absolutely. You’re ready. And don’t worry, I installed a few more options to your suits. If anything gets- out of  control, your suits will be able to limit it and tone it down.”

 

They make their way down the stairs and into the training room. Trini gasps a little when the door shuts behind them because now she’s locked in here with her friends. She could hurt them. But none of them don’t seem the slightest bit nervous. Like they trust her.

 

“Okay everyone power up!” Alpha says through the speakers. They all look at each other curiously. “The suits are gonna limit your powers today for this exercise so don’t worry. Just activate your abilities.”

 

Billy shrugs as he looks at the others and closes his eyes, gripping his hands into fists as he focuses. Suddenly, a few small blue lightning sparks start flowing around his body. When he opens his eyes they’re glowing blue. The same color as his lightning.

 

“Whoa” Billy says excitedly. “This feels awesome. I’ve never let go like this before” he says as he examines the lighting flickering around his hands.

 

Jason goes next, activating the red energy beams around his hands. Then Zack makes his whole body is covered in metal and Kimberly shrugs because there’s nothing for her to activate like the others. Then they all look at Trini who’s still nervous about all this.

 

“Trini” Kimberly says. “It’s fine, don’t worry” she smiles.

 

Trini sighs as she nods and then takes a few steps back. She closes her eyes like Billy did and starts focusing on her breathing as she feels her heat increase.

 

“Nice” she hears Zack say and when she opens her eyes and looks at her hands they’re covered in flames. She touches her face and feels flames there too. When she looks down at herself, her entire body is covered in flames.

 

“Whoa. This feels… good” Trini says.

 

“Ok your powers are under control but that doesn’t mean you can’t hurt anyone around you, so be careful” Alpha says over the speakers and a few putties suddenly rise from the ground.

 

Trini conjures up a fireball and throws it at one of the putties. The putty is pushed back by the flames but the heat isn’t enough to cause a lot of damage.

 

“Alpha what the hell? I can usually take putties out with _one_ fireball.”

 

“Your powers are limited by the suit. That means you can’t reach the temperatures you usually do” Alpha explains.

 

“Guess you’ll have use a few more fireballs than usual” Kimberly smirks. Trini grins back as she launches a blast of fire at another putty. She keeps blasting it until the putty falls apart. 

 

Billy does the same to another putty with his lightning, Zack jumps onto another putty and starts punching it’s head. Jason’s energy beams take the form of a sword on his right hand and he slices another putty’s legs watching it tumble over as he slices again, making it fall apart.

 

Kimberly uses her telekinesis to lift one putty into the air. Trini notices that it takes a bit of a strain on her as she launches to the other side of room into another putty and they both crumble into pieces.

 

“Nice one” Trini says.

 

“Not too bad yourself” Kimberly smiles. Her smile fades as she lifts her hand in Trini’s direction and Trini winces, expecting some sort of hit. She looks behind herself to see a putty with its arm raised mid-air as it was about to land a hit on Trini before Kimberly stopped it. Kimberly winces as she struggles to hold the putty back and Trini blasts the putty causing it to crumble.

 

“Thanks” Trini breathes.

 

“Don’t mention it” Kimberly says hunched over as she pants and rests her hands on her knees as she tries to regain her composure.

 

They train for another hour and they’re all breathless by the time it’s over as they make their way to the locker room.

 

“I think we make a pretty good team” Zack says. “We could be the new X-Men” he jokes.

 

“We practiced with our powers limited because we don’t actually have full control over our powers” Jason explains. “We’re far from being the new X-Men.”

 

“Well we were still awesome today” Zack says. “Right T?” he says as he lifts his hand in the air waiting for a high-five.

 

“Yeah we were pretty awesome” she high-fives him. “Billy and I were a bit more badass, but you guys were great too” she jokes.

 

“Well someone’s become a real hot head” Kimberly teases.

 

“Letting all that heat get to you Trin?” Zack says as he ruffles Trini’s hair on the top of her head. Trini slaps his hand away.

 

“Haha, very funny” Trini says with a fake laugh. “I was just kidding” she mumbles as she and Kim split off from the boys to a different part of the locker room to change.

 

“Oh we know honey, we’re just teasing you” Kimberly says with a wide grin and Trini feels her cheeks heat up and turns her face to hide her blush.

 

“Kimberly” Alpha says as he enters the room. “Can I talk to you for a moment?” 

 

Kimberly’s smile fades as she nods and walks over to Alpha. Trini watches them whispering to each other for a while before she changes out of her suit and back into her clothes. When she gets back, Kimberly and Alpha are still talking and Kimberly is fidgeting with one of her rings as she stares at the ground with Alpha still talking to her. She nods and Alpha leaves the locker room.

 

“What was _that_ about?” Trini asks as she makes her way over to Kimberly.

 

“Oh uh nothing. Just an extra training exercise he wants me to try” Kimberly replies as she starts fidgeting with her ring again.

 

“Is it about-” Trini points to the device behind Kimberly’s ear, “that?” Kimberly nods, still frowning. “I’ll stay with you.”

 

“No it’s fine T. You don’t have to, just enjoy the rest of your Saturday.”

 

“Well that would be a little hard without my roommate so I’ll just hang with you and Alpha” she grins. And Kimberly smiles again, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Don’t mention it.”

 

“Hey guys!” Zack says as he, Billy and Jason walk up to them. “We’re gonna go hang out by the lake. Wanna join?”

 

“We’re just gonna hang out here for a while. Finish up some things” Trini says.

 

“Suit yourselves” Zack says as he rushes out the door. Billy gives them a smile and a wave before he leaves the room and Jason waits hesitantly, asking if everything’s okay and leaving when the girl’s assure him that they’re fine.

 

Alpha eventually returns with his notebook and leads them to the med-bay. “Okay, first I’m gonna run some tests on you in here” he says before he sets his stuff down on a small table. He leads Kimberly over to a bed and sets up a screen next to her.

 

“So I’m gonna go get some equipment. You can just take off your device Kimberly” Alpha says as he starts walking towards the doorway.

 

“Wait what? Just take it off? What if I- hurt someone?” she says as she glances from Alpha to Trini and back. 

 

“You’ll be fine. Your powers won’t just activate like that. It’ll just be for a minute.” Alpha says as he leaves the room.

 

Trini pulls over a chair next to the bed that Kimberly is sitting on and looks around the room, recalling the last time she’d gotten herself in there.

 

“I don’t think I can do this” Kimberly says, breaking the silence. “I can’t- I just-” Trini stands up and walks up to Kim.

 

“Hey hey” Trini says softly as she cups Kimberly’s chin in her palm turning her head towards her. “Kim it’s gonna be fine. Don’t worry” she smiles softly. Kimberly’s own hand reaches up for Trini’s at her chin and she grips it tightly like a lifeline.

 

“I’m scared. What if I…” she breathes. “What if I hurt you?”

 

“You won’t” Trini says. She reaches up with her other hand, which Kimberly isn’t currently squeezing, and pushes Kimberly’s hair out of her face. “You got this.”

 

Kimberly nods and takes a deep breath before reaching for the device behind her ear. She pulls it off and sets it down on the table next to her bed.

 

Alpha returns minutes later with what looks like a giant bowl or helmet with a bunch of screws and bolts and wires all over it and a smaller helmet with less wires and bolts. Trini lets go of Kimberly’s hand and moves back to her seat to give Alpha space to set everything up. He places the helmet on Kimberly’s head and types a few things into the monitor’s keyboard.

 

“Okay, everything seems normal with your brain waves” Alpha says as he writes something down on his notepad. “Here” he says as he offers Trini the smaller helmet. “Wear this” Trini nods and places the helmet on her head.

 

She hears Kimberly giggle and when she turns to her she realizes that she’s laughing at Trini.

 

“What?” Trini asks.

 

“I’m _loving_ this look on you” Kimberly teases. Trini grins.

 

“Well you should see how _you_ look princess.”

 

“Oh please, I can pull anything off and we both know it” Kimberly says.

 

“Yeah that’s true” Trini laughs.

 

“Alright Kimberly, I want you to go back to the moment that you discovered your powers. Think about how you felt.” Alpha says.

 

“Oh. Okay” Kimberly says as she closes her eyes.

 

For a few minutes nothing really happens. Alpha just writes everything he sees on the monitor onto his notepad, but then something spikes on the monitor and it starts beeping rapidly.

 

“Is that normal?” Trini asks.

 

“Yes it’s just the stress getting to her. We need to see how she responds when her ability is activated” Alpha says.

 

Kimberly starts breathing heavily through her nose as the beeping becomes more rapid. Suddenly an invisible pulse shoots out from her body and Trini feels herself flung backwards into another machine. The helmet flies off of her and Alpha has to catch the monitor from falling. Another invisible pulse from Kimberly but it feels different then the last one. This one doesn’t physically push her, but her head feels a throbbing pain and she clutches it as pain shoots through her. Like something is probing at her mind. Like what Rita did but more intense and powerful. But as soon as the pain starts, it stops seconds later. Trini doesn’t even realize that she’s on fire again. It’s just her hands thankfully because she’s really tired of burning her own clothes. Trini clutches her fists and focuses, putting out her flames at will. Kimberly shoots up in her bed and looks around worriedly. Her eyes look like they’re tearing up as she runs over to Trini and hugs her tightly.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry” she mutters over and over again, and Trini hugs her back telling her that it’s okay.

 

“Well at least you’re making progress” Alpha sighs as he collects his stuff from the floor.

 

“You call _that_ progress?” Trini asks.

 

“It was so much worse when I first got here” Kimberly says as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

 

Alpha then looks at Kimberly questioningly. “Did you… you know” he asks as he looks back and forth between the two girls.

 

“No no. I connected with her mind but I pulled back to avoid getting in any further” Kimberly explains.

 

“That’s _very_ good progress” Alpha says a little excitedly.

 

“With me?” Trini asks.

 

“Yeah. I’m sorry about that. Are _you_ okay?”

 

“Yeah I think so” Trini says hesitantly.

 

“Good” Kimberly lets out a breath of relief. “Also, we’re gonna need straps for these helmets if that’s how easy they fall off” Kimberly laughs nervously but it’s obvious she’s a still a bit tense after what happened.

 

“Okay let’s go again” she says as Alpha starts setting up the monitor again.

 

“What? For real? After all that?” Trini asks.

 

“Yeah that’s how we run these tests. Until I get better at it all” Kimberly states.

 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Trini asks worriedly.

 

“Don’t worry Trin. That’s how we do this” Kimberly replies and she shudders a bit.

 

Trini reaches out to hold her hand again. “You sure you’re okay Kim?”

 

“Yeah” she says hurriedly before smiling back at Trini and pulling away to sit back on the bed. She puts the helmet back on and closes her eyes as Alpha starts asking her questions again and telling her to think of different events.

 

Trini stares at the other girl worriedly the whole time, but her worries are eased a bit when Kimberly goes through the rest of her tests without anymore- accidents. Kimberly smiles at her a few more times throughout the tests but Trini can tell that something’s bothering her.


	5. Chapter 5

“That’s enough for today Kimberly” Alpha says as he turns off the monitor and collects all his equipment. “You’ve definitely made a lot of progress from your first day here, but you’re still gonna need to practice to get this ability under control. And we’re gonna have to start doing these tests more often.” Kimberly nods.

 

“And the device?” she asks.

 

“Keep wearing it. Maybe try taking it off every once in a while to test yourself. If you don’t feel too confident about it, you can do that in secluded areas where no one else is around or something like that” Alpha replies.

 

“Got it” she says as she looks over to Trini who’s now on her phone and hasn’t realized that Kimberly has finished her tests. Kimberly walks up to her and rocks back on her heels as she waits for her to look up. “Thanks for waiting with me. I know it probably got kind of boring towards the end there-”

 

“Anytime princess, don’t worry about it” Trini grins as she stands up and stretches, her shirt riding up andKimberly can’t help but stare at how toned her abdomen is and quickly shifts her gaze back up to Trini’s face before she notices. 

 

“Zack texted a while ago. He said he and Billy and Jason were going into town if we wanted to join” Trini says, interrupting her thoughts.

 

“Sounds good to me” Kimberly says. “Also uhm- Trin? is it cool if I could come up to the cliffs with you when you meditate? I think that kind of peace of mind would be good for me with this whole… you know.”

 

“Yeah, definitely. We can try later if you want.”

 

“Yeah” she smiles. “I’d like that.”

 

——————————————————————————

 

Kimberly smiles as she eagerly leads Trini by the hand, out the front door where the guys are waiting next to a two-doored red sports car.

 

“How are we all supposed to fit in _that_?” Trini asks.

 

“We’ll make it work” Jason says. “You, Kim and Zack can sit in the back.”

 

Kimberly’s still holding her hand as she pulls her towards the car and Jason pushes the front seat forward so they can squeeze into the back. There’s only two seats so Trini ends up having to sit in Kimberly’s lap with Zack next to them, grinning at them, and Billy and Jason in the front.

 

“Whose car is this anyway?” Trini asks as Kimberly wraps her arms around her waist and rests her head against her arm. Just typical best friend stuff right?

 

“It was Zordon’s. He lets us borrow his cars if we need to, since he can’t really use them anymore” Billy says. “And this happens to be Jason’s favorite so we have to squeeze in to fit every time.”

 

“Well it’s a nice car. No way I’m ever passing up the opportunity to drive it” Jason chuckles.

 

The drive into town isn’t long, but it consists of Zack and Kimberly singing along to a song on the radio as loud as they can, with Trini and Billy laughing while Jason just tries to focus on the road, letting out a short laugh every once in a while. When that particular song finishes the hosts start talking about the song and then shift into the news section of their talk-show.

 

“So what about the mutant attack last night?” one of the hosts asks and the five them listen intently, their previous happy demeanor now more serious.

 

“Well it’s just another example of how our government isn’t handling this problem efficiently. These mutants are just running around thinking they can do whatever they want with their abilities and we’re just supposed to sit by and do nothing. For all of you folks listening back home who don’t know by the way, last night a mutant prison-escapee attacked a jewelry store and three people were injured. This is the fifth attack in the past few weeks. And I didn’t even mention all the other ‘accidents’ that happened just in this week alone. Mutants with no control over their abilities have been allowed to roam around uncontrolled and when they lose control, innocent people get hurt. It’s like letting teenagers walk around with a gun. How are we supposed to allow this to go on? How-” Jason turns off the radio.

 

“That’s enough of that” he says as he grips the steering wheel tightly. 

 

Trini frowns and she feels Kimberly pull her closer reassuringly as she looks up to her with a sympathetic look on her face. Trini smiles softly back at her, and they all just sit in silence for the rest of the drive. 

 

Jason parks on the street right outside a Krispy Kreme and puts enough change in the parking meter for about an hour and a half.

 

“So what do we do first?” Zack asks as he stretches after getting out of the car. 

 

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m definitely craving a donut right now” Kimberly says pointing at Krispy Kreme.

 

“There’s a burger joint a bit further down that Billy and I actually wanted to try out” Jason says.

 

“I’m _so_ in for a burger” Zack says. “What about you crazy girl?”

 

“I think I’m just gonna get a donut with Kim” she says and she swears she just saw Kimberly smile at her from the corner of her eye.

 

“Suit yourselves” Jason says as the three of them start heading down the street.

 

“Come on” Kimberly says excitedly as she grabs hold of Trini's hand again and leads her inside. 

 

They end up getting a couple of chocolate glazed donuts which they share at a table near the front. When they’re down to the last piece Trini playfully sticks her fork in it, claiming it as her own as she stares at Kimberly with a grin on her face waiting for her reaction.

 

Kimberly’s expression becomes focused as if she’s accepting a challenge and she tries sticking her own fork into the donut which Trini teasingly moves out of the way. Kimberly eventually drops her own fork as she tries to catch Trini’s and uses her telekinesis to flip it out of Trini’s grip into her own. Trini leans forward trying to bite the donut off the fork but Kimberly stops her with a finger held up in front of her and she smiles when Trini slaps her hand out of the way. Eventually they start juggling the fork around and Trini ends up catching it before slamming it down on the table between them, with smiles on both their faces as they start laughing.

 

Trini suddenly gasps and drops the fork on the table, quickly retracting her hand. Kimberly looks down at the fork curiously, to see it bent in a strange angle as if the metal was melted and then her eyes widen when she realizes. She looks up at Trini who’s hiding her hand under the table but Kimberly can see a bit smoke coming up.

 

“Let’s go!” she says as she jumps out of her seat and grabs her jacket. Trini does the same and they run out of Krispy Kreme and down the street laughing. “I- can’t believe- you- you melted the fork” Kimberly says between laughs as she bends over and tries to breathe normally after hysterically laughing. She wipes a few tears of laughter out of the corners of her eyes as Trini tries recomposing herself after all that laughter too.

 

“I didn’t mean to” Trini chuckles.

 

“Yeah well there’s gonna be _one_ confused Krispy Kreme employee cleaning our table” Kimberly says as she finally calms down. She looks at Trini who’s obviously trying to contain her own laughter and she bursts out laughing again with Trini doing the same.

 

They eventually settle down again as they start walking around town.

 

“Should we look for the guys?” Trini asks.

 

“Nah. We don’t need them. We'll just have some girl time” Kimberly says as she loops their arms together. They walk around a bit more and Kimberly even drags Trini into a small craft store even though she had any intention of buying anything, because she likes walking down the small isles and looking around apparently, and then Jason texts them in their group text chat, saying that he and the others are heading back to the car so they can leave. Kimberly replies, saying that she and Trini are on their way too, but as they start walking back, they stop in their trucks when they hear yelling from across the street.

 

They look to see a man yelling at two women. One of them has grey skin and pink markings on her face, and she seems closed in on herself at the man’s yelling. The other woman tries stepping in to calm the man but he yells at her too.

 

“No! Do _not_ tell me to calm down!” the man yells. “She’s dangerous!”

 

“I didn’t do anything! _You_ walked into _me_! My powers just reacted to being pushed” the woman with grey skin exclaims.

 

“You think you can just walk around and put the rest of us in danger like that?”

 

“Please” the other woman begs. “Her powers aren’t dangerous, it was just a bit of static electrocute that you felt from walking into her"

 

“I don’t care what her power is. All these damn mutants are a danger to our society.”

 

“We’re a _part_ of that society” the grey skinned woman says, but the man just keeps yelling.

 

"You don't deserve to be. If it were up to me, you'd all be locked up."

 

Trini clenches her hands into fists and starts crossing the street. 

 

“Trini wait” Kimberly says as she tries pulling her back, but Trini shrugs her hand off her arm and walks over the scene across the street.

 

“What’s your problem?” Trini says as she shoves the man.

 

“Mind your own business!” he says as he turns back the the other woman, but Trini shoves him again to get his attention.

 

“Step back” she says sharply and the man glares at her.

 

“You’re one of them too, aren’t you?” he hisses. “What are you gonna do? Use your powers on me? I’ll call the cops on all of you.”

 

“I don’t need to use my powers to handle you, asshole” Trini says and she feels Kimberly tugging on her arm from behind.

 

“Trini stop, he’s not worth it” Kimberly pleads.

 

“Why don’t you listen to your friend there, _mutie_?” Trini winces at the slur. “You’re all filth” the man says as he glares back at Kimberly and that’s what makes Trini snap. She suddenly ignites her flames on her hand and the man’s eyes widen as he steps back.

 

“Say that again. Go on” she says, attempting to intimidate the man as she glares at him and he just looks terrified as his eyes dart from Trini’s eyes to the flames on her hand.

 

“Trini!” she hears Kimberly again and she turns around to see her with a shocked and worried expression on her face and Trini frowns before powering down her flames. The man takes the opportunity to start running without looking back.

 

“Thank you” the grey-skinned woman says. “I really appreciate the help.”

 

“No problem” Trini says and smiles at the two women as they walk away.

 

“Trini” Kimberly sighs. “You can’t just do stuff like that.”

 

“What was I supposed to do Kim? Just let him get away with it? That woman needed help” she exclaims and Kimberly sighs again as shepinches the bridge of her nose.

 

“That’s not what I’m saying it’s just- it’s dangerous revealing your powers in public like that. And threatening people especially!”

 

“I wasn’t gonna hurt him” Trini mutters.

 

“That doesn’t matter! If he calls the cops, you know whose story they’re gonna believe? _His._ And who knows what they could do to you?” she says and Trini frowns. “Listen” Kimberly says when she notices Trini’s frown. “What you did; it was amazing and brave and I love that about you. But if anything happened to you… I wouldn’t be able to handle that, Trin.” Trini just nods and licks her lips as she avoids Kimberly’s gaze.

 

“Okay” she mutters. “We should get back to the guys before they leave without us” she says, still avoiding looking Kimberly in the eye.

 

“Yeah” Kimberly frowns. “We should.” 

 

Their walk back to the car is as silent and tense as Trini expected it to be, until a police car pulls up beside them on the street and flashes it’s lights.

 

Trini feels Kimberly tense beside her and mouths ‘it’s okay’ to her as the officer walks up to them.

 

He’s an older man, with grey hair and he takes off his sunglasses as he steps in front of them.

 

“Excuse me ladies, I don’t mean to bother you but I’m gonna need to ask you some questions” he says.

 

“What for?” Trini scowls.

 

“Anything you need officer” Kimberly quickly adds as she looks to Trini with a wide-eyed expression and mouths ‘don’t.’ Trini gets the message and scoffs as she crosses her arms, keeping herself from angering the cop.

 

“Well the thing is ladies; We just got a call about someone being attacked by a few mutants in this area and his description of two of them seems to match the two of you” he says eyeing the two of them.

 

“Oh well, that can’t be us” Kimberly gives him a friendly smile. “We were just on our way to meet our friends so we could get home. We didn’t get into any fights with anyone” she assures him and he still eyes them suspiciously before focusing on Trini who's glaring at him.

 

“You seem a bit quiet there. Something on your mind?” he says and Trini clenches her fist.

 

“Nope. All good” she says through gritted teeth and she feels Kimberly’s hand cover her fist before she relaxes against her touch and lets Kimberly intertwine their fingers.

 

“Where do you girls go to school?”

 

“Angel Grove High” Kimberly says.

 

“Hhmm and I’m gonna need to see some ID” he says and Trini scoffs.

 

“Why?”

 

“Standard procedure” he says. Kimberly frowns and hands over her own ID and the officer looks it over as Trini pulls out her wallet for her own. “Kimberly Hart eh? Your reputation precedes you. And that reputation includes the fact that you attacked fifteen people when you were at Angel Grove High before you switched schools.” Kimberly tense at his words. “And I’m guessing you’re a mutant too?” he says turning to Trini. “Let me guess; you're the one who threatened a man with fire?” and Trini scowls at him. “I’m gonna need you two to come down to the station with me and we’ll call your parents.”

 

“But we didn’t do anything!” Trini exclaims.

 

“You attacked an innocent civilian” he states.

 

“We didn't attack anyone! _He_ was the one harassing someone else, and we told him to step back. I _never_ used my powers on him” Trini says.

 

“You still threatened him.” 

 

“And what? You gonna lock us up for that? We had no intention on hurting him or anything like that” Trini snaps.

 

“Listen kid!” he snarls as he grabs by the arm. “You’re both coming to the station with me _right_ now or I’m gonna have to drag you down there in handcuffs.”

 

“Let go of her” Kimberly says as she attempts to push the officer back but he just pushes her back by the shoulder. Trini sees her fumbling with something behind her ear and her eyes widen when she realizes-

 

“Kim-” Trini says and Kimberly doesn’t respond as she pulls off her device and focuses her gaze on the officer.

 

Suddenly his glare fades and his expression turns neutral before he lets go of Trini’s arm. Kimberly’s gaze stays fixed on him and she doesn’t even blink when Trini walks up to her and shakes her by the shoulders.

 

“Kim” she pleads, frowning at the taller girl. Kimberly’s gaze shifts to Trini and her expression softens as she lets out a deep breath she seemed to be holding.

 

The officer blinks and looks at the two girls confused. “Wh-What happened?” he says clutching his head.

 

“You just told us that you were letting us off with a warning for almost getting into a fight with someone” Kimberly says matter-of-factly. Trini just looks between the two of them, as confused as the officer.

 

“Oh right” the officer says as if his mind is clearing up. “Well, take care girls. And don’t get into anymore trouble” he says as he gets back into his car and drives off.

 

“What was that?” Trini asks incredulously.

 

“I just made him forget the last five minutes” Kimberly says as she rubs her forehead temples and gets her breathing back to a normal pace.

 

“What?” Trini asks shocked.

 

“I didn’t hurt him, I just… you saw how he was treating us. I didn’t get into his head or see anything I just- helped us avoid a fight” she frowns.

 

“What’s wrong?” Trini asks.

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Oh really? Then how come you have that same look on your face like the one you had at school during those tests with Alpha when you accidentally lost control of your powers?”

 

“I just- I don’t like when it happens. Losing control.”

 

“ _That_ I know, but what’s _really_ bothering you?”

 

“I just get scared” Kimberly sighs. “Every time I use my powers, I keep feeling like I’m gonna lose control and hurt everyone around me and I hate it.”

 

Trini reaches up and intertwines their fingers again. She’s come to learn it’s like a form of comfort they use on each other.

 

“If anyone gets the ‘no control over your powers’ thing, it’s me” she smiles. “You’ll get better at controlling it Kim. You didn’t hurt me back at school and you didn’t hurt that cop just now, so it looks like you _do_ have some control over it. You just don't realize it.”

 

“That was just luck.”

 

“Looks more like strength to me” Trini grins.

 

Kimberly smiles as she tightens her grip on Trini’s hand.

 

——————————————————————————

 

They eventually return to the school and Jason drives the car back to the garage as the rest of them walk inside.

 

“So did you punch him?” Zack asks.

 

“No, but I should have. That guy was being an asshole. And then the cop-” Trini trails off.

 

“Welcome to being a mutant, crazy girl” Zack teases.

 

“I can’t believe people have to got through this shit every day” Trini sighs.

 

“Yeah no matter how much people think mutants are being accepted, there’s just always gonna be people against us” Billy says.

 

“Trini” Alpha interrupts. “Can I talk to you please?”

 

“Great” Trini mutters as she follows Alpha into Zordon’s office, not even noticing Kimberly following her until she’s at the door.

 

“If you’re getting in trouble for anything that happened, I got your back” she smiles.

 

When they enter the room, Alpha crosses his arms and looks at them disapprovingly as Zordon’s head appears floating at the center of the room.

 

“Zordon has access to the police station records and their radios. And apparently two young mutant girls, one with fire abilities, attacked someone earlier” Alpha says as he and Zordon wait expectantly for their response.

 

“It’s not as bad as it sounds” Kimberly says. “This guy was being rude to someone so we just told him to back off and then this cop was being rude and trying to arrest us or something-”

 

“That’s not the point” Zordon interrupts. “You shouldn't use your abilities like that in public. You’ll just draw unwanted attention to yourselves.”

 

“We couldn't just do nothing” Trini says.

 

“I know it seems that way but-” Alpha says.

 

“But what? We just let all this go on as if nothing is wrong?” Trini exclaims.

 

“That’s not what I’m saying” Alpha says. “Just... be more cautious.”

 

“Whatever” Trini scoffs and leaves the room, with Kimberly right behind her.

 

 

“Frustrating right?” Kimberly says when they finally get back to their room.

 

“Yeah” Trini sighs as she buries her face in her hands and rubs her eyes.

 

“I have an idea” Kimberly says as she sits down across from Trini on her bed and crosses her legs. “Gimme your hands.”

 

“What?”

 

“Don’t worry, just give me your hands.” Kimberly smiles. Trini shifts so she’s also sitting cross-legged across from Kimberly and rests her hands in Kimberly's palms. “Okay now breathe with me” she says as she closes her eyes and starts taking slow and calming breaths, and Trini follows her lead. “Just calm yourself, push aside whatever is stressing you out and think of something- something that makes you happy.”

 

Trini’s mind immediately goes to Kimberly at that moment. How she’s sitting here trying to help Trini calm herself, trying to make her feel better and Trini smiles at the thought.

 

“Thought of something?” Kimberly asks and Trini opens her eyes to see her grinning.

 

“I’m allowed to open my eyes?”

 

“Nope, only I can. Close them again.” Trini lets out a breathy laugh before closing them again. “What did you think of?” Kimberly asks and Trini gulps.

 

“Nothing, just some- happy memories.” 

 

“Anything specific?” Kimberly asks and Trini remains silent.

 

Kimberly doesn’t push any further and they continue their slow breathing before Kimberly pulls back her hands abruptly. “Ow!”

 

Trini opens her eyes and sees Kimberly clutching her own palms, and then looks down to see the light smoke trailing off of her own. She frowns and her brows furrow as she quickly stands up.

 

“I’m so sorry Kim, I-” she whimpers.

 

“It’s okay Trini-” Kimberly says as she walks over to Trini and frowns when Trini steps back and runs out of the room. “Trini wait!” Kimberly yells but Trini is already running down the stairs and running out the front door.

 

——————————————————————————

 

Trini ends up sitting at her usual spot at the cliff. Thinking on how this happened again. She got close to someone and she hurt her. No matter how much control she’s been getting over her abilities, this will probably just keep happening. Her phone buzzes, interrupting her thoughts and she unlocks it to see a message from Zack.

 

_“Where’d you go T? Saw you running out the from door”_

 

_“Just needed some air”_

 

_“Need company?”_

 

 _“No, I’m good. Thanks”_ she types as she locks her phone and shoves it back in her pocket.

 

She looks down at her hands as she ignites her flames, and just stares at the fire dancing around her hands, admiring it.

 

It’s mesmerizing to look at and the flames looks so beautiful, there’s no doubt about that. But the fact that with just one flinch or one wrong movement and anyone around her could get hurt.

 

“I thought you’d be here” a voice says from behind her and Trini frowns again. “You seem to always come here to clear your head."

 

“What do you want Kim?”

 

“I’m here to talk.”

 

“I don’t want to talk about anything.”

 

“Trini… Please don’t beat yourself about this. It was just a little accident.”

 

“And if it had gotten slightly more out of control it would have been a lot bigger than a 'little accident'” Trini grumbles.

 

“You didn’t hurt me Trin, it was just a little burn. I don’t have any marks or anything” she says and Trini doesn’t respond. “I’m fine" she reassures her but Trini's gaze stays fixed ahead of her instead of at Kimberly.

 

“I’m never gonna be able to control this” she mutters.

 

“Yes you are” Kimberly says as she makes her way next to Trini and sits down on the ground beside her. “Don’t doubt yourself. Just like you said to me earlier; You got this” she smiles. Trini just gives her a half smile and frowns again.

 

Kimberly takes Trini’s hands into her own and Trini seems scared and initially tries to pull them back, but stops when Kimberly smiles at her and brushes her thumbs on Trini’s hands.

 

“I trust you Trin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a filler chapter but things should start picking up soon. Again, thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Ok this first chapter was longer than I expected but anyway. I was rewatching the X-Men movies a while ago and I reminded myself how much I love the X-Men so I needed to write this AU.   
> If you're confused with the powers I'll use comic characters that have similar ones: 
> 
> Jason- a bit like Psyloche's powers
> 
> Kimberly- Jean Grey
> 
> Trini- a bit like Johnny Storm/Pyro
> 
> Billy Cranston- lightning powers a bit like Static (Virgil Hawkins)
> 
> Zack- Colossus


End file.
